The Charity Commission has warned that fraudulent letters have been sent on its behalf to charities and trustees recently.
It said the bogus letters usually request charities to take actions such as removing trustees or chief executives, releasing funds as part of a grant or providing documents such as passports or utility bills.
The letters may be signed as coming from “the commission”, its chief executive or directors, the regulator warned.
The commission has reported the incidents to Action Fraud and urged charities to contact the regulator to double check if they are in any doubt.
How to tell real from fake
In its warning, the commission reminded charities that it will only send them a letter by post if it does not have their current email address, with charities able to check and update their details online.
The commission rarely addresses letters generically such as “to whom it may concern” and does not write letters or emails of certification on behalf of UK charities regarding tax exemption or any other matters.
It does not request charities to authenticate an account online by supplying personal identity documents and will not ask charities or individuals to provide banking information, the commission said.
In rare circumstances where the regulator might send charities a letter by post, it will be franked, not stamped.
The letter will have a case number or reference and unlikely be marked as “strictly private and confidential”.
In addition, it will come from the Charity Commission of England and Wales, not “the UK” or just “England”.
It is unlikely that any serious allegations against individuals would be detailed in a letter from the commission, or that it would name individuals before there was clear evidence of wrongdoing.
Charities’ casework or investigation would normally come from a caseworker or a team from the commission.
An Action Fraud spokesperson told Civil Society: “Criminals will attempt ruthless tactics to defraud any charity, individual or organisation out of their money or funding.
“Charities should ensure they protect themselves from fraud and follow the guidance provided by the Charity Commission following the warning message about charities receiving fraudulent messages posing as the regulator.
“If you’ve lost money or have been hacked, report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, you can call Police Scotland on 101.”
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