BBB Warns Charities of Fake Check Scam

Arlington, VA – February 1, 2016 – BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) is warning charities nationwide to be on the alert for a fake-check overpayment scam.  An individual using the name “Kenneth McFarlane” initially sends charities emails expressing interest, then sends a 5-figure donation, via overnight mail, using a fake check. Next, he immediately informs the charity a mistake has been made and asks them to return $10,000 to cover a medical emergency for a child.  If the charity follows through, they lose the $10,000 before knowing the original check was fake.  For more information, see the following release produced by the Better Business Bureau Serving Central Virginia, based in Richmond, which brought this to the attention of BBB WGA.   http://www.bbb.org/richmond/news-events/news-releases/20162/01/bogus-donation-scam-targeting-local-nonprofits/

ABOUT BBB WISE GIVING ALLIANCE:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) is a standards-based charity evaluator that seeks to verify the trustworthiness of nationally-soliciting charities by completing rigorous evaluations based on 20 holistic standards that address charity governance, results reporting, finances, fundraising, appeal accuracy and other issues. National charity reports are produced by the BBB WGA and local charity reports are produced by local Better Business Bureaus – all reports are available at Give.org.