The Fraud Advisory Panel is launching Charity Fraud Awareness Week 2017. The aim as in previous years is fighting fraud together, this year including a free drop-in centre and exhibition at the Guildhall in the City of London.
This free event is co-hosted by the Panel (itself a charity), City of London Voluntary Sector Forum (as run by Partnership for Young London), and the regulator the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Speakers include:
– Alderman Allison Gowman, Chairman, City Bridge Trust;
– Helen Stephenson CBE, Chief Executive, Charity Commission for England and Wales;
– Andy Fyfe, Detective Chief Inspector, National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), City of London Police; and
– Pesh Framjee, Partner – Head of Non-Profits, at the audit firm Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP.
For other Fraud Advisory Panel events, visit https://www.fraudadvisorypanel.org/event/upcoming-event/.
Meanwhile the first Charities Against Fraud Awards will be held to mark excellence in tackling fraud in the charity sector. Charities can showcase their successes and share best practices. Entry is free and open to all UK-registered charities. The submission deadline is Friday, October 6, 2017. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony hosted by Moore Stephens on Tuesday 24 October in London. To enter, visit www.moorestephens.co.uk/charities-against-fraud-awards.
And the Commission recently updated guidance on how it requires charities – that is, trustees – to report a ‘serious incident’. The regulator defines that as an adverse event, whether actual or alleged, which results in or risks significant:
– loss of charity’s money or assets;
– damage to charity’s property; or
– harm to charity’s work, beneficiaries or reputation.
The most common types are frauds, thefts, significant financial losses, criminal breaches, terrorism or extremism allegations, and safeguarding issues. In such cases a charity needs to report what happened and explain how it’s dealing with it, even if it’s reported it to the police (incidents of fraud to Action Fraud), donors or another regulator.
