Charity Fraud Awareness Week 2021

Charity Fraud Awareness Week is a campaign run by a partnership of charities, regulators, law enforcers, representative and umbrella bodies, and other not-for-profit stakeholders.The aim of the event is to raise awareness of fraud and cybercrime and to create a safe space for charities and their supporters to discuss fraud and share best practice.

To coincide with the start of the week, CAF Bank has released new polling exploring how fraud is affecting charities and their staff.

• Two in five charities (41%) are concerned about fraud and one in 20 (6%) say they have been the victim of fraud or attempted fraud since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Three in 10 charities (30%) have increased their protection and preventative measures against fraud since the pandemic began but around a quarter (26%) have not.
• Only around half of charities (54%) believe their staff and volunteers know enough about fraud and how to spot it and just 14% have fraud awareness training in place. 

CAF Bank shares the concerns of the Charity Commission about the “gap between awareness and practical action because it poses a threat to a charity’s ability to deliver for beneficiaries if donors cannot be confident in charities’ stewardship of the money it receives.”

“From staying ahead of the latest scams to following simple fraud prevention tips, there are things you can do to keep your organisation’s funds safe,” explains Dina Henry, Chief Operating Officer at CAF Bank.

“Please visit our online security centre for useful fraud prevention resources or contact us if you believe you have seen something suspicious.”

You can find out more about Charity Fraud Awareness Week and commit to the Fraud Pledge on the Prevent Charity Fraud website.