Police investigate fundraise fraudsters

Police are aware of almost 100 scams relating to the bushfire crisis that seek to exploit the compassion of Australians.

A dedicated bushfire “Scamwatch” hotline had as of late Wednesday received 99 reports of bushfire-related scams. Picture: AFP

Law enforcers are aware of almost 100 scams relating to the bushfire crisis that seek to fraudulently ­exploit the compassion of Australians, with NSW police “proactively” investigating several.

The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, which has set up a dedicated bushfire “Scamwatch” hotline, had as of late Wednesday received 99 reports of bushfire-related scams.

“Some of the most common (scammer) contact methods were phone (44 reports) and social networking sites (24 reports),” said an ACCC spokeswoman.

The NSW Police Force said it was investigating several, and urged donors to exercise extreme caution.

“NSW police have received reports of fraudulent fundraising pages and are proactively monitoring any criminal activity,” said senior constable Sue Thompson.

“These incidents are currently being investigated.”

In NSW, the scams have included a fake crowdfunding site that appropriated the names and images of bushfire victims Robert and Patrick Salway and targeted people the family knew via ­Messenger.

“Police are reminding the public to be vigilant and always check the legitimacy of people asking for donations,” Constable Thompson said.

“Do not donate via fundraising pages on platforms that do not verify the legitimacy of the fundraiser or do not guarantee your money will be returned if the page is determined to be fraudulent.

“Be careful about crowdfunding requests as these may be fake and come from scammers.

“Check the terms and con­ditions of funding platforms and ensure you are dealing with official organisations.”

If people were unsure, they should make their donation to an established charity instead, she said, and ensure it was registered.

They could do this by searching the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission’s charity register at www.acnc.gov.au/­charity.

“If you are uncertain about the credibility of charity collectors, obtain their details and contact your local police,” Constable Thompson said. “If you think you have paid money to a scammer, contact your bank and local police immediately, and report it to Scamwatch (on 1300 795 995).”

Meanwhile, bogus images purporting to depict the bushfires and their aftermath continue to be circulated on social media, sometimes appearing to push advertising. The latest includes a video posted on Twitter purportedly showing a bushfire-affected kangaroo hugging “the volunteer who saved her life”.

Kangaroo can’t stop hugging the volunteer who saved her life pic.twitter.com/iN9to6Zg8C

— Ù‹ (@roastedrants) January 6, 2020

It is in fact a video from Instyle Magazine's editor-in-chief Laura Brown’s visit to a Kangaroo sanctuary in Alice Springs.

FYI!
I just found out that this kangaroo is from a sanctuary that was NOT impacted by the current fires in Australia. This is an old video. Still a sweet interaction but unrelated to the current crisis happening down under. https://t.co/shQbjFJCsE

— Angie Lassman (@AngieNBC6) January 7, 2020

“This misleading tweet has received more than 800,000 re­tweets or likes and is being used to push advertising,” said Stephanie Hunt, Australian editor of Storyful, which sources, verifies and analyses social media content for local and international news outlets.