Sham Charity Illegally Resurfaces
28 July 2015 at 2:32 pm
An organisation that had its charity status revoked has allegedly been illegally fundraising in New South Wales.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has issued a statement warning the public of the allegedly unlawful activities of a group called the Indigenous Foundation of Australia Limited.
The organisation had its charity status revoked in July 2014 following an investigation into its operations by the ACNC.
The national charity regulator said it has received complaints from the public claiming that representatives of Indigenous Foundation of Australia Limited were claiming that the organisation is a charity registered with the ACNC.
According to the complainants, representatives of the Indigenous Foundation of Australia Limited made the claims while fundraising in New South Wales.
ACNC Commissioner Susan Pascoe confirmed that the charity is not registered with the ACNC and encouraged members of the public to always check the Charity Register before donating.
“Since losing its registration in July 2014, the status of Indigenous Foundation of Australia Limited remains unchanged. I can confirm that it is not registered as a charity with the ACNC,” Pascoe said.
As of 2014 the organisation was run by directors Michael Johnson, Cherilyn Malbas and Edna O’Connor, who were also known to be managing another deregistered charity, the Care 4 Kids Foundation.
Pascoe urged the public to check the national charity register in order to make sure they were supporting a legitimate charity.
“Members of the public can confirm the charity status of an organisation by visiting the Charity Register at acnc.gov.au/findacharity. The Charity Register provides the details of more than 54,000 registered charities across Australia. It is an easy-to-use, accessible tool that helps the public make informed decisions about their donations,” she said.
“A charity’s individual listing on the Charity Register will indicate if it is ‘registered’ or ‘revoked’.”
If approached by representatives of Indigenous Foundation of Australia Limited to donate, members of the public are urged to contact the fundraising regulator in their state.
The ACNC has deregistered 11 charities following investigations since it was established in December 2012.
