A Community Network for Bowes Park and Bounds Green
I had door-to-door charity visitors Friday and Saturday, each from the same organisation, asking me to sign for D/D contributions.
Both well-presented young men with leather-bound iPads to take down details, and badges dangling from their neck, their get-up was identical other than on Friday it was a 'blind' charity, on Saturday a 'deaf' one.
I stopped the first as soon as he asked for bank details, though I had already given my name and address and probably my date of birth too I suspect.
Has anyone met them too? Is it a fake charity scam, or actually a real one? Unfortunately I didn't think to take down the name of the 'charity' until after they'd gone.
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Update: it's a real charity all right - it's NDCS - but the laminated card they are showing looks like it has been photocopied from a magazine or printed from a web page. And he said it was his first day so he didn't have ID. I strongly suspect they are not from this charity.
Visited me this afternoon.I politely told him to bog off........
One comment on this post via Twitter:
@bowesandbounds I politely tell everyone that I don't do anything financial on the doorstep. Sure they're mostly genuine but, I resent being hassled at home. If I want to give to charity, it's always on my own terms
— WhyAyeMrs (@WhyAyeMrs) January 26, 2013
Hear hear
The NDCS website gives details on their door to door collectors - they are supposed to be identifiable by wearing purple tabards - Additionally they post details of their areas of operation by month - Haringey is one area - but postcodes N6 and N10 - are you in N11?
If there is genuine concern perhaps a phone call to the charity and / or the Bounds Green Safer Neighbourhoods team might be in order?
Hi Richard, yes I am.
I also looked at that part of their website - I called their number but not surprisingly it had closed by then.
I did call the police (101 number) just to report that these fake charity types are in the area.
I'm angry with myself for giving him my email address and possibly more, before twigging as soon as the bank details question came up. Probably as I've been ill all week and working from home and my guard was down... at least I have changed many of my passwords and so on and will be checking my credit report alerts regularly in the coming weeks.
It happens to us all Daren - you're distracted by something else and it just doesn't twig straight away that you shouldn't be giving your details. I've done it myself on the internet.
Another thing to watch out for are the fake charity bags that are left round regularly. I always check the charity reg no and email address etc before I use them.
Hi Darren,
I'm writing an article on hoax callers trying to secure personal data from people on their doorsteps for the Enfield Advertiser.
Would you be able to give me a call on: 0208 370 5476 to talk about this a little bit more?
Thanks
Darren
Your genuine concern has generated a bit of local press interest in this story.
An item in this weeks Enfield Advertiser by Ruth McKee entitled "Concerns over bogus callers allayed." contains a guarantee from NDCS that that they actually did have fundraisers in the N11 post code on the dates. Apparently why one day they said they were from a blind charity and the next a deaf charity was because they use an agency who fundraise for other charities. They said: "Like many other charities, NDCS employ the services of specialist fundraising organisations to help us attract supporters. Anyone who wishes to confirm that an NDCS fundraiser is genuine should contact us on 0845 231 1617 or check the door to door fundraising section of our website. www.ndcs.org.uk"
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