Fake charity appeals for tragedies

What’s the threat?

Scammers are exploiting the recent tragic events in London and Manchester by tricking people with fake charity appeals. In particular, fraudsters are claiming to be raising money for victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. Posing as official charities and support organisations, they are emailing, texting and phoning people, and posting messages on social-media sites, requesting donations. Some scammers are even pretending to be victims of the fire, and are making direct appeals for money.

Another tactic is to tempt you into clicking a link that promises to show you footage or images of the fire. Scammers often try to seduce people after tragedies and terrorist attacks with ‘unseen’ or ‘sensational’ videos and images that TV channels won’t show.

Clicking a link in these messages takes you to sites that try to steal your personal data, including your bank details. Downloading an attachment from one of the scam emails installs malware on to your computer.

What can you do?

Always be suspicious of an appeal for money by phone, text or email, or on social media. There are several legitimate ways to donate money to those affected by the Grenfell fire, including via the Kensington & Chelsea Foundation’s page on the charity website Justgiving ( www. snipca.com/24728), which had raised over £250,000 within a week of the tragedy. The London Evening Standard is also raising money through Justgiving ( www.snipca.com/24731, see screenshot), while the British Red Cross has launched its own fund at www.snipca. com/24730.

More generally, you can check whether a charity is genuine by searching for it on the Government’s Charity Commission website ( http:// beta.charitycommission.gov.uk), which is currently in beta.