Do not let charity scam put you off (From Daily Echo)
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Do not let charity scam stop you from making a donation
12:30pm Tuesday 26th February 2013 in News
By Jenny Makin, Crime Reporter
GUILTY: Gang members Kim Chapman, Susan Christians and Ben Chapman.
THEY are the army of volunteers who give their spare time to help raise vital funds to support terminally ill cancer sufferers.
Next month around 25,000 people will help collect donations from the public for Marie Curie Cancer Care’s annual appeal nationwide.
Today charity chiefs urged Hampshire residents to keep showing their support after a gang was caught duping kind-hearted people who put their money into collecting tins they were rattling in pubs around the county.
As reported by the Daily Echo, the three men and three women carried out the fraud over three years, claiming they were raising money for the charity which supplies nurses free of charge to dying people in their homes and in hospices.
During police raids, officers found forged collection tin labels, letters and identity badges and bags of money, although it will never be known exactly how much they got away with.
Southampton Crown Court was told how the scam began after ringleader Gordon Coe, 65, of Mansel Road East, Millbrook, was accepted as a volunteer.
Others then collected money in the charity’s name, but without authorisation, before splitting the proceeds.
Now Coe, together with Benjamin Chapman, 43, and his wife Kim, of Pennine Road, Susan Christians, 64, of Drapers Copse, Dibden, and Pauline Hunt, 55, of Clover Nook, Redbridge, all face prison terms for their role in the crime.
A spokesman from Marie Curie Cancer Care said the charity was determined “not to let one bad apple give legitimate charity collectors a bad name”, adding that the vast majority were trustworthy and dedicated.
They said that legitimate collectors are overseen by staff from the charity and are issued with a collection permit to identify themselves, wear Marie Curie tabards and carry fully sealed tins.
The spokesman added: “These volunteers undergo rigorous checks from the outset, including selection meetings and references, to ensure they are trustworthy and dependable. We couldn’t raise the vital funds we need without them.”
Anyone concerned about collectors calling at their door or approaching them in a pub is asked to contact the charity direct on 0844 415 7854.
* Under the House to House Collections regulations 1947, anyone wanting to collect door to door for a charity must have a licence.
They have to apply for that through the council, giving their name, address and details, which can then be subject to a police check.
They also have to supply the name of the charity and its charity commission number as part of the process.
Southampton City Council has a register of people and organisations intending to collect by cold-calling at homes in the city at any one period of time. The same regulations apply for anyone collecting money in pubs, who are bound by the House to House Collections Act 1939.
Comments(16)
xx_samsie_xx
says...
4:01pm Tue 26 Feb 13
speedyuk
says...
5:53pm Tue 26 Feb 13
xx_samsie_xx wrote:Maybe the police shud come knocking in your door is that an admission of guilt !!
Dont believe everything you read, 2 of these people are innocent and have been unknowingly dragged into this awful scam. People will make their own minds up but i know for a fact that they wouldnt have it in them to do this + cancer charity is so very close to mine + my families heart at the moment. Hope they realise the mistake they're making!
localnews
says...
6:19pm Tue 26 Feb 13
gillyman
says...
8:10pm Tue 26 Feb 13
xx_samsie_xx wrote:oh no two more innocent people in a jail practically full of innocent people .......or so they say
Dont believe everything you read, 2 of these people are innocent and have been unknowingly dragged into this awful scam. People will make their own minds up but i know for a fact that they wouldnt have it in them to do this + cancer charity is so very close to mine + my families heart at the moment. Hope they realise the mistake they're making!
xx_samsie_xx
says...
10:04pm Tue 26 Feb 13
speedyuk wrote:And how is this an admission of guilt??? They arent part of my family, i have just lost my dad to cancer and saying that the charity is close to my heart?!?!?!
xx_samsie_xx wrote:Maybe the police shud come knocking in your door is that an admission of guilt !!
Dont believe everything you read, 2 of these people are innocent and have been unknowingly dragged into this awful scam. People will make their own minds up but i know for a fact that they wouldnt have it in them to do this + cancer charity is so very close to mine + my families heart at the moment. Hope they realise the mistake they're making!
laineysfc
says...
10:34pm Tue 26 Feb 13
Georgem
says...
10:36pm Tue 26 Feb 13
xx_samsie_xx wrote:Don't bother. The average Echo reader can barely string a sentence together, let alone apply reasoning to anything. I'm amazed some of them even manage to type, with their knuckles dragging on the ground like that.
speedyuk wrote:And how is this an admission of guilt??? They arent part of my family, i have just lost my dad to cancer and saying that the charity is close to my heart?!?!?!
xx_samsie_xx wrote:Maybe the police shud come knocking in your door is that an admission of guilt !!
Dont believe everything you read, 2 of these people are innocent and have been unknowingly dragged into this awful scam. People will make their own minds up but i know for a fact that they wouldnt have it in them to do this + cancer charity is so very close to mine + my families heart at the moment. Hope they realise the mistake they're making!
IronLady2010
says...
11:04pm Tue 26 Feb 13
speedyuk
says...
9:36am Wed 27 Feb 13
IronLady2010 wrote:Are you actually supporting these low life arse holes !!!
The biggest Chraity scam is the the wages paid to those at the top. A fraction of the money is given to where it is intended.
MegGriffin
says...
11:15am Wed 27 Feb 13
xx_samsie_xx wrote:Accidentally pocket the money did they?
Dont believe everything you read, 2 of these people are innocent and have been unknowingly dragged into this awful scam. People will make their own minds up but i know for a fact that they wouldnt have it in them to do this + cancer charity is so very close to mine + my families heart at the moment. Hope they realise the mistake they're making!
Pikey-Biker
says...
11:19am Wed 27 Feb 13
xx_samsie_xx wrote:which two?
Dont believe everything you read, 2 of these people are innocent and have been unknowingly dragged into this awful scam. People will make their own minds up but i know for a fact that they wouldnt have it in them to do this + cancer charity is so very close to mine + my families heart at the moment. Hope they realise the mistake they're making!
Subject48
says...
11:42am Wed 27 Feb 13
Indeed. Charity bosses and ceo have some substantial wages. Charities are the new business model of the future. Why if there are so many retail outlets shutting down charity shops are doing well ?
sparkle71
says...
12:26pm Wed 27 Feb 13
IronLady2010 wrote:Totally agree with this, just because it is legal doesnt make it morally acceptable.
The biggest Chraity scam is the the wages paid to those at the top. A fraction of the money is given to where it is intended.
Hairybiker100
says...
3:13pm Wed 27 Feb 13
xx_samsie_xx wrote:Which two do you suggest are innocent ?
Dont believe everything you read, 2 of these people are innocent and have been unknowingly dragged into this awful scam. People will make their own minds up but i know for a fact that they wouldnt have it in them to do this + cancer charity is so very close to mine + my families heart at the moment. Hope they realise the mistake they're making!
Hairybiker100
says...
3:14pm Wed 27 Feb 13
****-Biker wrote:Yeh, Come on. Which two are innocent....!
xx_samsie_xx wrote: Dont believe everything you read, 2 of these people are innocent and have been unknowingly dragged into this awful scam. People will make their own minds up but i know for a fact that they wouldnt have it in them to do this + cancer charity is so very close to mine + my families heart at the moment. Hope they realise the mistake they're making!which two?
Outside of the Box says...
1:14pm Tue 26 Feb 13
I collect for the Poppy Appeal in pubs and clubs and hope others don't remember this case in November, we need all the help we can get.