Children in Need raises alarm over postal donation cheque scam

Elderly donors say charity payments were intercepted by fraudsters who then stole thousands of pounds

CHILDREN IN NEED has asked people to donate electronically after a number of cheques were intercepted in the post.

The Telegraph has spoken to two elderly donors who claim to have had thousands of pounds taken from their bank accounts after cheques were tampered with.

In both instances, the cheques were seemingly intercepted in the post, before being altered and cashed into the fraudsters’ bank account.

It comes amid a rise in cheque fraud, with reported cases up 35 per cent between 2022 and 2023, figures from the trade body UK Finance show. The charity said that it is aware of the issue and has reported cases to the police.

The annual Children In Need television appeal, hosted by the BBC, was launched in 1980 and typically features a collection of sketches and celebrity appearances. The annual appeal normally takes place in November. The 2023 appeal raised £33.5million and was supported by the Princess of Wales.

One Telegraph reader, who wanted to remain anonymous, said £3,000 was taken from her Barclays account when she donated £50 to the charity in July.

The reader believes that the cheque was intercepted in the post. Feeling ashamed, she hid the loss from her family, but when her daughter found out, she reported the fraud to the bank and Action Fraud.

Barclays refunded the lost money after the family went into their local branch to talk to a customer service agent.

Her daughter said: “Clearly this fraud needs to be investigated. It is particularly galling that charities are being targeted. It should not be too difficult to track down the perpetrators, whether they are intercepting the post or working at the charity, since at some stage they have to present the doctored cheque to a bank to obtain the funds.”

Another reader said that she had £2,000 stolen from her bank account when she sent £20 to the charity. She said: “I am 89 years old and this means I can no longer send cheques to charities, however careful I am in writing them.”

A Katie Morley Consumer Champion investigation for The Telegraph last weekend found that a consumer who had sent £50 to Shelter had £9,980 stolen from his Santander account.

The bank refunded the money and offered him £400 in compensation, while the charity said that no one with the name on the altered cheque worked for them.

A BBC Children in Need spokesman said: “We take fraudulent activity extremely seriously and can confirm we are aware of this issue and have reported it to the police and Action Fraud. Over our 2023 appeal season we solely promoted electronic donation mechanics across programming.”

A Barclays spokesman said: “We take the protection of customer funds and data extremely seriously.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We take the security of post very seriously and strongly encourage customers to report concerns to us.”