Bogus street collections
Our supporters and the Police have made us aware of some people in Manchester and Bolton falsely posing as UNICEF UK fundraisers around the town centre. We always encourage members of the public to remain vigilant. Our genuine fundraisers will always carry identification and wear a UNICEF branded uniform. If you suspect people are falsely claiming to fundraise for UNICEF UK you should not confront them, but instead contact our Helpdesk on 0844 8012414 so we can investigate.
We remain in close contact with the Police on these matters and will report any further suspicious activity so that they can take the appropriate action.
Fraudulent job offer emails
We have been alerted to a number of emails claiming to be from 'Anthony Lakes' (sic) offering jobs at UNICEF. The emails contain a request to provide them with personal information and to send money by Western Union for a work permit, UK working visa and other fees – we strongly advise that you do not respond to their requests for personal information and do not send any money.
Our general advice is to be extremely alert to any unexpected emails, and if you are in any doubt then please contact our Helpdesk or telephone +44 (0)844 801 2414 for clarification.
Fradulent Pakistan website
We have been notified of a fraudulent website, http://unicef-uk.webnode.com, which purports to belong to UNICEF UK. Visitors to the site are invited to send donations through Western Union for what appears to be the UNICEF UK Pakistan Flood appeal.
This website has no association with UNICEF UK. Any donations made in the way it suggests will not benefit UNICEF's work in Pakistan. If you have been directed to this fraudulent website, please do not make any payments. UNICEF UK is working with the webhosting company to have this site taken down.
Update May 2011: Thank you for notifying us about this webiste. We have now been able to shut it down.
Fraudulent standing orders
It has been brought to our attention that some members of the public have noticed payments out of their bank accounts to a bank account with sort code 20-82-94 and account number ending -412, and which uses the UNICEF name. Their banks have been sent standing order forms that look like the ones to the right. These standing orders have not been requested by UNICEF UK, and any payments made to this beneficiary are of a fraudulent nature. (You can see an image of the fraudulent standing order form above.)
If you identify any large unexpected payments in your bank account, or you receive a copy of a standing order form like the ones shown on the right, please contact your bank immediately to report it as fraudulent activity. We would also be grateful if you could inform us by contacting our Helpdesk by email (helpdesk@unicef.org.uk) or by telephone on +44 (0)844 801 2414.
We have already brought this fraudulent activity to attention of the police, the banks involved and to the Charity Commission.
Clothing collection flyer
It has been brought to our attention that a leaflet is being distributed through letterboxes in London and Manchester claiming to be from the company Mainland Collections Limited, suggesting it is an 'official UNICEF partner' and that UNICEF benefits from its collections. It includes the UNICEF name and logo.
UNICEF has no relationship at all with this company and we are currently investigating the situation in order to stop the misuse of our name and logo in this way.
Should you receive any leaflets, we would be grateful if you could inform us by contacting Helpdesk by email or on +44 (0)844 801 2414.
"John Anthony Bureau"
It has come to our attention that the fraudulent website John Anthony Bureau (http://www.creditcardbadcredit.co.uk), which advertises help getting a new credit card, is claiming it is associated with UNICEF.
UNICEF is in no way affiliated with this website. We strongly advise members of the public to be wary of any websites claiming to be connected with UNICEF which ask for your personal and/or banking details. If you are in doubt please contact Helpdesk or +44 (0)844 801 2414 for clarification.
Fraudulent emails
It has come to our attention that scam emails alleging to be from or associated with UNICEF UK are in circulation. Some of the most recent fraudulent emails ask for hotel and guest house bookings and claim to be reserving accommodation for the private holiday use of UNICEF UK staff. They allege that UNICEF's finance department will settle the bill and then send bogus foreign currency cheques that will not be honoured by your bank. Other examples ask the recipient to assist in siphoning money from UNICEF programmes in return for a percentage of the illegal profits.
These emails are not genuine and UNICEF is in no way connected with them – the people behind them are not employees of UNICEF UK, they are not acting on our behalf and UNICEF UK would never cover the costs of staff holidays in the way claimed by these people, nor employ people who would act in such a way. Unfortunately we are being exploited and so are you.
UNICEF UK would like to urge you to be wary of any suspicious emails (or other communications) claiming to originate from someone connected with UNICEF, especially when they are not from an official UNICEF email account and are asking you to engage in international money transfers.
Please verify the authenticity of any transaction before sending a response and certainly before parting with any money. If you are in any doubt, please contact Helpdesk or +44 (0)844 801 2414 for clarification.
If you have been approached in a similar fashion, please contact your local police department with full details of the correspondence that has been received. They may be able to find out who is involved. If you have been a victim of these types of fraud, the only chance of you being able to recover any loss will be if the police are able to bring the perpetrators to justice.
