Charities warned of underestimating cybercrime

The Charity Commission has warned charities of the risk of cybercrime ahead of Charity Fraud Awareness Week.

A recent survey has found that one in eight charities experienced cybercrime in the last 12 months.

Earlier research found that the move to digital funding during the pandemic exposed charities to the risk of cybercrime.

The survey also found a lack of awareness in the sector on the risk facing charities online. Only 24 per cent of charities have a formal policy in place to manage the risk. Furthermore, only 55 per cent reported that cybersecurity was a fairly or very high priority.

Charity Fraud Awareness week begins on 17 October and raises awareness of cybercrime and brings the sector together to share knowledge, expertise and good practice.

The campaign is run by the Charity Commission and the Fraud Advisory Panel with a partnership of charities, NGOs, regulators, law enforcers, and other not-for-profit stakeholders also involved.

The most common attacks faced by charities were phishing and impersonation.

The Charity Commission has shared some tips on how charities can protect themselves, which include changing passwords regularly, using strong passwords and two factor authentication, updating training and policies, making back-ups of your data using the cloud and making sure antivirus and all other software is patched to the latest version.

Amie McWilliam-Reynolds, Assistant Director Intelligence and Tasking, from the Charity Commission said: "Online financial transactions, and online working generally, present a great opportunity for charities – whether in engaging supporters, raising funds, and streamlining their operations. This was demonstrated in particular during the pandemic, when the longer-term move away from cash to online fundraising accelerated. But online financial transactions and the collection and storage of personal data also harbour risk, and we are concerned that some charities may be underestimating that risk, and are therefore exposing their charity to potential fraud.

"We hope that projects like Charity Fraud Awareness Week help raise awareness among trustees and charity staff of the risks they may face, and of the advice and guidance available to support them in protecting their charity from fraud."

Sir David Green CB KC from the Fraud Advisory Panel said: "Fraud is the UK’s most commonly experienced crime and much of it is committed online. Therefore, it is essential that charities take the security of their systems, information, people and money seriously. Simple cyber security measures can make a big difference which is why we’ve collaborated with UK police forces to offer a series of free cyber-security focussed events during this year’s awareness week.” Charity Fraud Awareness Week 2022 will feature online events, talks and useful advice from anti-fraud experts, designed to help the third sector and charitable organisations tackle the problem of fraud and cybercrime."