The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) scam watchdog, Scamwatch has warned against fraudulent bushfire fundraising charities in the wake of the devastating blazes.
A Scamwatch statement said there were currently a wide range of appeals raising funds for people and animals affected by the bushfires but some of them are scams.
It said scammers were pretending to be legitimate well-known charities, creating their own charity names, and impersonating people who had been negatively impacted by the bushfires.
Scamwatch urged the community to check a charity’s registration as a not-for-profit organisation before parting with a cash donation.
It also advised not to donate via fundraising pages on platforms that don’t verify the legitimacy of the fundraiser, or that don’t guarantee your money will be returned if the page is determined to be fraudulent.
“Be careful about crowdfunding requests as these may be fake and also come from scammers,” Scamwatch said.
“Check the terms and conditions of funding platforms and ensure you are dealing with official organisations.”
“If you are unsure, make your donation to an established charity instead.”
It said the Australia Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission had set up a charity register which could be accessed at this PS News link.
The ACCC has also set up a dedicated phone number (1300 795 995) for reports of bushfire related scams.
