Charity scams
Charity scams exploit people's willingness to help. Do not part with your money if you have any doubt about the integrity of the fund-raising campaign. An honest operator always has a money collection permit.
A charity or an attempted scam?
For instance, you may come across a charity scam in telemarketing. You may be asked to donate to a charity even if the purpose of the call actually is to sell you something. The caller misleads you by pretending to talk about a donation, when in reality they are attempting to sell you something. The amount you pay in these situations will not go to a charity.
Another example of a scam is when the caller does not tell you clearly, or at all, that by making a one-off payment you end up with a standing order, for example a magazine subscription.
Does the fund-raiser have a money collection permit?
You may only collect money if you have applied to the National Police Board for a money collection permit or notified the local police department of organising a small-scale money collection. You can recognise a legal money collection by its permit number or small-scale money collection number.
Check if the person asking for a donation has a money collection permit. This way you can make sure that the money actually goes towards the purpose mentioned by the caller.
Ask the following questions to check if a money collection licence is legitimate:
- What is the name and licence number of the collection?
- When and where is the campaign licensed to collect money?
- Which authority granted the licence?
- What will the money be used for?