Millions of dollars have been donated to bushfire relief funds, and scammers are cashing in on it

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People around the world continue to open their wallets to help rebuild communities ravaged by fire, but fundraising companies say they are working around the clock to make sure scammers are not pocketing donations.

An Australian Competition and Consumer Commission spokesperson said 425 reports of bushfire scams had been received by Scamwatch since September.

"Where we believe a fundraiser may be an impersonation scam, we speak with the entity being impersonated to confirm the fundraising is not legitimate," the spokesperson said."We have also forwarded reports to other government agencies for further investigation." GoFundMe's Ms Britton said the company used trust and safety experts to monitor campaigns and verify thousands of donation pages.

"Instead, GoFundMe will work to ensure it goes directly into the beneficiary's bank account," Ms Britton said."In the very rare case of misuse, donations are backed by the industry's only guarantee. The GoFundMe guarantee ensures donations reach the right place or will be refunded."

 

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Biggest scammers in Victoria's Black Saturday bushfires killing 180 may have been the Brumby state labor government.........$100 Million held for nearly two years as hundreds waited desperately. I think the Federal Government should oversee all donations.

Don’t blame them, they learnt the thieving from our government. Where are our $443.800.000? Do I have to mention the Great Barrier Reef?

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