News and Events

The Charity Commission has published an alert for charity trustees with information on how to report cybercrime.

The regulator said the alert comes “amid ongoing prevalent threats, particularly around phishing emails”.

Its alert says that “all charities should be vigilant to the threat of cybercrime and make sure appropriate defences are in place, including raising awareness with their staff and volunteers”.

It adds trustees of charities which have fallen victim to cybercrime, or any other type of fraud, should report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or by visiting the organisation’s website.

The Commission recommends that charities should also report fraud to them as a serious incident.

“We require prompt, full and frank disclosure of incidents. Serious incident reporting helps us to assess the volume and impact of incidents within charities, and to understand the risks facing the sector as a whole,” it says.

“Where appropriate, we can also provide timely advice and guidance, either to assist individual charities and get them back on track, or to warn the wider sector about prevalent threats.”

The alert directs charities to other sets of guidance already published for charities to help prevent cybercrime.

It says the cost of a cyber breach to a charity can range from £300 to £100,000.

Last month, the government published its Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019, which revealed that one fifth of charities had experiences a cyber breach last year.

Source: Civil Society