South Wales Police are warning residents in Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan to be aware of bogus charity collectors and not to give out personal information without being sure with whom you are dealing.
Barry Neighbourhood Inspector Louise Davies said: “An increasingly common approach to fundraising is that of requesting people to donate a regular amount by standing order. This can have many benefits for a legitimate charity. However, we would advise you to be very careful about whom you are giving your personal and banking details to.
“There are, of course, many genuine charity collectors out there but we would remind people that they should make sure they confirm the identity of any callers and the legitimacy of the charity. Before you part with any information please ask to see their identification and make sure that you are satisfied with it.
“If anyone has any doubts then they should contact the police immediately so checks can be carried out to confirm the validity of the callers.
“Remember that every pound lost to a scam charity is one pound less that can be donated to a reputable and worthwhile cause.
“It is not our intention to advise you against giving to reputable charities; in fact we would actively encourage it. We simply want you to stop and think before you give out important personal.
All charities have to be registered with the Charities Commission. You can easily check if a charity is registered with them by going to their web-site where a search facility is offered: www.charity-commission.gov.uk
There are several main types of charity fraud about at present often involving the setting up of totally bogus charities, usually for alleged fundraising in respect of emotive issues, such as children or cancer.
These can involve telephone marketing and collecting, where telephone calls are received from someone acting on behalf of a charity, asking for donations. Some donations never reach the intended charity. However, this can be, and is, a legitimately-used fundraising technique employed by some reputable charities – the only suggestion we make is that you ask the caller exactly how much of your donation will actually reach the charity concerned.
Collection agents, these are people who knock on your front door rattling a tin. Again, many are genuine good people collecting for a worthwhile cause. They should be able to provide you with identification issued by the charity.
Check them out before you give!
