23 February 2011
Advice For Donors To Quake Relief

The Charities Commission is warning donors to beware of emails from unknown senders asking for donations to support Canterbury earthquake relief.

Scam emails are already circulating, pretending to come from a charity or charitable fundraiser, claiming they are collecting money to help people affected by the Canterbury earthquakes.

Commission chief executive Trevor Garrett says that one such spam email is from a “James McCoy” of “Donation4Charity”. It calls for people to receive donated funds into their bank account from overseas, in return for a 10% cut. “It is a scam, and seeks to take advantage of New Zealander’s well-known generosity .We recommend you immediately delete emails received from this source, and any others from people or organisations you don’t know and can’t verify, asking you for money” he says.

“It is very disappointing at a time when we have such a terrible tragedy that some people would want to take advantage of the generosity of others, and steal much-needed funds away from legitimate charities who are helping people in need.”'

Typically, such scam emails mention well-regarded legitimate charities – but their real aim is to harvest your bank account details and your money. “No charity mentioned by the scammers will ever benefit from your generosity,” says Mr Garrett.

Mr Garrett says there are some simple checks donors can make before giving to assist people affected by the devastating Canterbury earthquakes. “Make sure your generosity reaches the people who really need it”.

• If you are contacted by a “charity” you have never heard of before, do a little research first. More than 25,500 legitimate charities have their details on the Charities Register at www.charities.govt.nz
• It’s best to give to large, well-known, well-established charities – they are used to dealing with crisis recoveries, and equipped to deal with them. Well established charities have better networks, infrastructure, expertise and systems to respond quickly to disasters. Some examples are the Salvation Army, Red Cross, and SPCA Canterbury – all of which are registered with the Charities Commission
• If someone knocks on your door asking for a donation, don’t be shy about asking to see identification, or asking them to call back after you have had an opportunity to phone the charity
• If someone phones or emails you asking for a donation, you can ask for their charity registration number. Be cautious about giving your credit card details. If you prefer to make a donation over the phone, you may want to look up the charity's phone number, and call them back yourself
• You can report suspected scams to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs at www.scamwatch.govt.nz, or report suspected fraudulent door-knock collectors to the police
• Remember to ask how your donation will be used - the Charity Commission has powers of investigation where misconduct and wrongful use of charity money is suspected.

Mr Garrett says that most charity collectors are honest and genuine and will be pleased to answer your questions. “New Zealanders have a long-established reputation for generosity. Our donations can make a real difference to helping people who really need our support right now.”

ENDS

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