Charities lost £8m to fraud in 2018/19: RSM warns

The figures, obtained via by RSM via a freedom of information request to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre, reveal that charities submitted 1,057 reports about fraud in 2018-19, with average losses per case totalling £7,428. 

Employee fraud accounted for the highest level of fraud losses or £1.685m, followed by abuse of a position of trust of £1.627m, and mandate fraud of £1.232m.

The highest number of identified complaints were about mandate fraud (173), followed by employee fraud (95) and hacking (62). 

Mandate fraud occurs when an employee is tricked into changing a regular payment mandate such as a direct debit, standing order or bank transfer and redirecting it into a fraudster’s account.

Typically, a fraudster will contact an employee via email purporting to be from a supplier that receives regular payments and explain that the standing order will need to be updated with new account details.

RSM warns that often the scam will only come to light when the real supplier chases for payment. In some cases, this can be many months after the first transfer of money. 

"While this data is unlikely to show the true level of fraud affecting charities, it is quite revealing about the types of fraud to which charities are most regularly falling victim," said Nick Sladden, RSM's head of charities. 

"Frankly, if staff receive the right training and if the correct controls are in place, there's no reason why these types of fraud attempts should be successful."

Mr Sladden advised charities to also keep a closer eye on their employees - and on those in positions of authority. "While no-one wants to work within a culture of distrust, charities still need to be alert to the threat of insider fraud and ensure that proper checks and balances are in place to minimise the risk."

"While some larger charities may be able to absorb the losses from fraud, for smaller charities already struggling with cashflow issues, a loss in the thousands can prove critical."