The Greater Sudbury Police Service would like to advise citizens of a number of ongoing and recent incidents related to door-to-door fraudsters in Greater Sudbury. Individuals have been fraudulently soliciting donations on behalf of the Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada for their own personal gain. The money is being collected in the form of cash and cheques.
Cheques that have been collected have been altered to indicate larger amounts than what was actually donated.
An investigation into these incidents is ongoing.
Greater Sudbury Police encourage citizens who wrote a cheque during the month of January to any door-to-door solicitor, check their banking information to ensure that the amount withdrawn reflects the amount of the donation.
The Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada has advised that they do not solicit door-to-door and have not had any volunteers canvassing in Greater Sudbury. The Brain Tumor Foundation of Canada strives for the highest integrity and accountability when it comes to their volunteers and donors.
The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre suggests several precautions that should be followed to ensure that your donations benefit the people and organizations you want to assist:
- Ask for written information about the charity, including name, address and telephone number. A legitimate charity or fundraiser will give you information about the charity’s mission, how your donation will be used and proof that your contribution is tax deductible.
- Ask the solicitor for the registered charitable tax number of the charity. Question any discrepancies. Confirm the charity’s registration information through the Canada Revenue Agency (1-800-267-2384).
- Check out the charity’s financial information. For many organizations, this information can be found online.
- Ask for identification. If the solicitor refuses to tell you or does not have some form or verifiable identification, hang-up or close the door and report it to law enforcement officials.
- Call the charity. Find out if the organization is aware of the solicitation and has authorized the use of its name. If not, you may be dealing with a scam artist.
- Watch out for similar sounding names. Some phoney charities use names that closely resemble those of respected, legitimate organizations. If you notice a small difference from the name of the charity you intend to deal with, call the organization to check it out.
To file a police complaint, contact your local police service. To ensure that your complaint information is shared with other law enforcement agencies, also file a report with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre by calling 1-888-495- 8501.
