Australians warned about Cyclone Pam scammers

While Australians give generously to the effort to help Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam, the charity watchdog has warned of scams.

Samuel searches through the ruins of his family home with his father Phillip, in what remains of their family home in Vanuatu's caputal Port Vila. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

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The nation's charity watchdog is warning Australians to be careful of scams after the Cyclone Pam emergency in Vanuatu.

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) says scammers have set up social media accounts and posed as well known Australian charities with links to a donation app.

ACNC commissioner Susan Pascoe said Australians were generous people but the public should be cautious and give to trusted charities.

“Unfortunately there are scammers prepared to take advantage of the public’s generous nature. By giving to a registered charity, people can protect themselves and their donations,” Ms Pascoe said.

The ACNC told SBS it knew of at least two scam Instagram accounts that had asked people to donate via an app, and there could be more.

The ACNC also said it had received reports of scammers going door-to-door and in shopping centres asking for Cyclone Pam donations claiming to be from known Australian charities. 

The ACNC recommends these steps to ensure people are giving to legitimate charities:

• Always ask for identification from door-to-door and street fundraising collectors
• If you haven’t heard of an organisation, look them up on the ACNC Charity Register
• Do not provide your personal, credit card or bank account details unless you know it is a trusted source
• Do not open suspicious or unsolicited emails - delete them
• If you think that there is something wrong, contact the charity directly and alert them of your concerns

SBS has a list of charities collecting donations for those affected by Cyclone Pam, and the ACNC website has an extensive list of registered charities.