A warning has been issued by The Charity Commission about a new scam involving fraudulent letters that demand the removal of trustees and request sensitive identification documents.
These letters aim to exploit charities by impersonating official correspondence – they are signed as coming from ‘the Commission’.
Content of the letters
The letters employ a typical tactic of fraudsters – spreading fear – to manipulate the recipient into disclosing personal information. In this specific instance, they urge the charity to take immediate steps to remove a trustee or chief executive from their position, releasing funds as part of a grant or supplying documents such as a passport or utility bill.
Identifying fake correspondence
The Charity Commission stated that: “it’s not always easy to tell if correspondence is real or fake, however please note we will only send you a letter just by post only if we do not have your current email address.”
There are several ways to identify scam letters, The Charity Commission would not do or include any of the following:
- Address the letter generically, for example ‘to whom it may concern’ – The Charity Commission stressed that it ‘rarely address letters generically’,
- Send out letters or emails of certification on behalf of UK charities about tax exemption or any other matters;
- Issue requests to authenticate an account online by supplying personal identity documents; and
- Ask for banking information.
The Charity Commission has also said that “It is unlikely that any serious allegations against individuals would be detailed in a letter, or that we would name individuals before there was clear evidence of wrongdoing.”