Charities across Oxfordshire are being urged to strengthen their fraud prevention measures following new data revealing 84 charity-related fraud incidents were recorded across the South East in the past 13 months. Of these, 25 were reported directly to Thames Valley Police.
The figures, drawn from Action Fraud’s Fraud and Cyber Crime Statistics Dashboard, show that the 84 cases led to combined losses of £42,500. These reports cover instances where charities themselves were targeted, as well as situations where fraudsters impersonated charitable causes to deceive members of the public.
Ansvar Insurance, a specialist insurer for charities and not-for-profit organisations, is using the findings to urge the sector to remain vigilant ahead of Charity Fraud Awareness Week, taking place from 8–12 December 2025. The national awareness week aims to promote good practice and encourage stronger fraud resilience across voluntary organisations.
Adam Tier, Head of Underwriting at Ansvar, said the impact of these crimes reaches far beyond the financial loss.
“These figures represent real money that should have gone towards genuine charitable causes. Whether the victims are charities themselves or members of the public misled by fraudulent fundraising, the impact on trust in the sector is the same,” he said.
Tier highlighted that voluntary organisations often face particular challenges—such as limited resources and higher staff turnover—which can make them more vulnerable to exploitation. As Charity Fraud Awareness Week approaches, he urged organisations to go beyond basic measures and consider longer-term risk management.
While many charities already follow standard security protocols, Ansvar is drawing awareness to three often-overlooked protective steps that can significantly reduce risk:
Review volunteer and staff access rights:
Permissions can quickly become outdated as people move roles or leave. Regular checks help prevent both accidental and deliberate misuse of sensitive information or financial systems.
Validate all supplier or partner changes:
Fraudsters increasingly impersonate trusted suppliers. Any changes to bank details or contact information should always be verified by calling a known number, rather than responding to an email.
Audit cloud and shared access permissions:
With many organisations using cloud systems to store donor information and documents, quarterly reviews of user accounts are essential. Dormant or overly-permissive accounts are common vulnerabilities exploited by cyber criminals.
“Charity Fraud Awareness Week is an opportunity for every organisation, large or small, to pause and review its controls,” Tier added. “Prevention doesn’t always mean big budgets; it’s often about simple checks and staying alert to changes that don’t feel quite right.”
