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| CHEQUE
FRAUD SCAM CIRCULATES TARGETING SMALLER GROUPS |
17/02/04 |
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The
Charity Commission has issued a warning that charities across the country
risk having their bank accounts emptied by a new fraud.
The scheme cheats groups by sending them a generous - but bogus - cheque,
before asking them to repay half the sum because of a claimed administrative
error by the unscrupulous "donor".
If unsuspecting charities repay this money, they will find that the original
cheque then bounces, leaving them robbed of thousands of pounds.
The Commission is paticularly concerned about the charities with an annual
income of less than £10,000 as this fraud could potentially wipe out
a significant chunk of their income.
The cheques appear to be from a genuine bank, and "donors" are
also available for conversations by phonemes.
Simon Gillespie, director of operations at the Charity Commission, says:
"This is a very sinister operation because it is so plausible. Charities
should never return any donation before the cheque has cleared.
"These type of requests should be treated with great caution and if
trustees have any suspicions they should contact their local police or call
the Commission's helpline on 0870 333 0123. We want all charities to be
alert to this scam."
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