- reminder marks start of ‘Get Safe Online Week’ -

The Charity Commission is warning the public to give carefully when donating to charities online. The regulator of charities in England and Wales is issuing the warning as part of Get Safe Online Week, which runs from 22 - 26 October.

Charities are increasingly fundraising on their own websites, or using charity fundraising sites to raise much needed funds, as well as selling goods online to raise money for their charities.

The theme of Get Safe Online Week is ‘Click & Tell’; encouraging members of the public to pass on useful advice about how to stay safe and keep important information secure when using the internet.

Sam Younger, CEO of the Charity Commission said;

“It is vital that the public has confidence when giving to charities online and knows how to stay safe. Get Safe Online Week is a great way for us to share with others our own top tips for the public to give with confidence at a time when charities really need the public’s support. Equally, it is a good opportunity for charities to promote their online credentials to provide the public with that extra confidence when donating online so that they know their details and donations are safe.”

By using the following top tips members of the public can help ensure every penny they give goes to a genuine charity:

• Check if an organisation is a registered charity by looking them up on our Register of Charities, at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/
• To donate online to a particular charity, visit the charity’s website – check that you have the right web address. You can find the charity’s website address on their entry on the Charity Commission’s Register of Charities.
• Be very careful when responding to emails or social networking posts – including those claiming to be from charities - or clicking links within them to ensure that they are genuine. Instead, type in the charity’s web address in your browser. Look out for spelling mistakes or other signs that the email is not genuine. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a request for donations that appear to come from a charity, don’t hesitate to contact that charity directly. 
• Don’t forget that many charity fundraising pages will allow you to declare that you are a UK taxpayer, so that the charity can benefit additionally from the gift that they can claim on your donation. Charities only need your name, address and confirmation that you are a UK taxpayer to do this.
• Check what information the charity or charity fundraising website provides on your privacy and how they use your information. The collection and handling of any personal information (which can include simply an individual’s email address) should be treated with care, and in particular must comply with the relevant provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Privacy and Communications Regulations 2003. The Information Commissioners’ Office has lots of information about what charities are required to do http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_organisations/sector_guides/charity.aspx
• If you suspect a website or email is fraudulent, report your concerns to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040 or report on their website at http://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

Your reassurance

When you're donating to a charity, look to see if the charity is a member of the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB), the self-regulator for fundraising in the UK. This means that the charity has agreed to follow industry codes of practice (the Institute of Fundraising's Codes of Fundraising Practice). These codes ensure that they are fulfilling all legal requirements when fundraising online, as well as giving advice on best practice. You can contact the FRSB if you have any concerns about a member's fundraising (http://www.givewithconfidence.org.uk/)

Information and advice on donating to charities online safely can be found on the Get Safe Online website: https://www.getsafeonline.org/index.php/protecting-yourself/charity-donation-fraud

More general information on how to stay safe online can be found at: https://www.getsafeonline.org/protecting-your-computer/safe-internet-use/

For further information on this story please contact the press office. For more information about Get Safe Online Week go to http://clickandtell.getsafeonline.org/

Ends.

PR 28/12

Notes to Editors

1. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. See www.charitycommission.gov.uk for further information or call our contact centre on 0845 300 0218.

2. To be the independent registrar and regulator of charities in England and Wales acting in the public's interest to ensure that:

• charities know what they have to do
• the public know what charities do
• charities are held to account

3. There are over 160,000 main registered charities, some of which have similar names or working names. To avoid confusion, each registered charity can be identified by its individual registration number, which can be checked on the Register of Charities.

4. The Charity Commission chairs the Voluntary Sector Fraud Group, which consists of: Association of Charitable Foundations

• Association of Chief Executives for Voluntary Organisations
• Action with Communities in Rural England
• Charity Commission for England and Wales
• Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
• Charity Finance Group
• Community Matters
• Fraud Advisory Panel
• Fundraising Standards Board
• HM Revenue and Customs
• Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales
• National Council of Voluntary Organisations
• National Fraud Intelligence Bureau
• Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator
• Small Charities Coalition
• Wales Council for Voluntary Action

5. Institute of Fundraising
The Institute of Fundraising’s (http://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/) mission is to support fundraisers, through leadership, representation, standards setting and education, to deliver excellent fundraising. Members are supported through training, networking, the dissemination of best practice and representation on issues that affect the fundraising environment. The Institute of Fundraising is the largest individual representative body in the voluntary sector with 5200 Individual members and 340 Organisational members.

6. Fundraising Standards Board
The Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) is the self-regulatory body for UK fundraising.  Launched in 2007, the FRSB works to ensure that charity fundraising is always honest, legal, transparent and accountable. Member organisations make a commitment (The Fundraising Promise) to adhere to the highest standards of fundraising practice. They display the FRSB's distinctive tick logo on fundraising materials and appeals, encouraging the UK public to give with confidence. Visit http://www.frsb.org.uk/ for more information.

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