Ain Society Warns Public Of Bogus Fund Raisers

STRAITS TIMES (1/4/2009)

A Charity here is raising the alert on bogus fund-raisers who are using its name to scam the public. A group of youngsters is pounding the streets asking for donations for the Ain Society, but the charity is not raising funds at the moment. The society, which helps troubled youth and families, was alerted to the con artists by a potential donor. It filed a police report on Monday night. The police said they are investigating the matter. Mr Joseph Giri, 30, who called Ain Society to check if it was raising funds, told the Straits Times he was approached by two Malay teens at the void deck of an HDB block in Woodlands recently.

The two boys told him they were collecting donations for former convicts and orphans but did not name the group for which they were raising funds. Instead, they showed him some documents, including a "thank you" letter and a receipt issued by the Ain Society to a donor stating the donation received. Smelling a rat, he called the charity to verify if it had sent people out to solicit for donations. Mr Giri, who declined to reveal his occupation, said: "I'm willing to give, but I want to make sure the appeal is genuine and does not go into someone's pocket, instead of the people it is supposed to help."Ain Society's chief executive Mohd Yusof Ismail said he was told these bogus fun-raisers, some sporting dyed hair and tattoos, have been active in areas such as Clementi, Tampines and Woodlands.

 He said: " We don't know how long this duping has been going on, but we want to alert the public not to be conned by these fraudsters."This is not the first time a charity here has fallen prey to those out to make a quick buck. Last June, The Straits Times reported that con artists were selling donation tickets for $2 a piece for the Society for the Aged Sick, which did not authorise anyone to raise fund s then. And in January last year, two men were jailed for six months each for donation scams. A sales executive and a car-washer forged donation tickets to raised funds for the non-existent New Life Children's Charity