Did you know that a lot of charity fraud is carried out in your own home? Fraudsters know that when they knock on your door or telephone you at home, you are more likely to give them money than if they sent you a letter. Door to door charity fraud is particularly common and unfortunately it is something that is hard for the police to control.
Most charity fraudsters work as a company rather than an individual. However, there are some individuals that will apply to work in charity stores and who gradually steal money from the charity. It may seem unthinkable to most of us, but there are people who will commit charity fraud due to how easy it is to get away with.
The most common goal of fraud companies is to take money from charity donors and use it to fund criminal activities. They will typically turn up at your door and many even have official looking badges from often well known charities. When you see a badge you are less likely to question it. The fraudster also knows that you are less likely to turn them away without paying them or giving them your bank details.
If you want to avoid charity fraud then you just need to be a little more aware. Not all door to door charity collectors are fraudsters. However, you should always be able to do a little research on the company before you pay them. Kindly tell the person at the door that you would like a little information sent through the post. If they are a genuine charity they will understand and this will not be a problem.
The same applies to telephone charity collectors. Many will claim to be support publishers. They will tell you that if you choose to advertise with them for say £250, all of the money will go to charity and you will get potentially thousands more customers for doing so. It sounds like a win-win solution but unfortunately this is very rarely the case. Again if you get asked over the phone to take part in this kind of offer you should ask them to send you more information through the post. Take your time to research the company and that will give you the best chance of avoiding a scam.
