Canadians can enter to win $20,000 from Capital One to be donated to the
charity of their choice
Charity Fraud Awareness Quiz launches today as part of Fraud Prevention Month
TORONTO, March 1 /CNW/ - A recent survey conducted by Capital One in partnership with CanadaHelps, found that 51% of Canadians were concerned about being a victim of a fraudster representing a false charity, and 18% of Canadians have been a victim or know someone who has been a victim.
To educate the public about charity fraud, Capital One and CanadaHelps are teaming up during Fraud Prevention Month to launch the Charity Fraud Awareness Quiz. This quiz will help participants identify the signs of charity fraud and hopefully avoid these malicious schemes.
"Our partnership with CanadaHelps allows us to reach out to the non-profit sector to share best practices on proper storing and handling of personal financial information," said Laurel Ostfield, spokesperson, Capital One Canada. "All of these efforts help us to educate Canadians about the risks of charity fraud, so they can donate safely to legitimate causes that support our communities."
The on-line Charity Fraud Awareness Quiz is designed to inform Canadians about the risk of charity fraud and how to prevent it. Accessible at www.canadahelps.org, every participant who completes the quiz will be eligible to enter into a draw to win a $20,000 grand prize donation, or one of $1,000 weekly donations from Capital One, to be made to the winner's charity of choice. The Charity Fraud Awareness Quiz runs from March 1st - 31st, 2010.
"The worst thing about charity fraud is that it affects the reputation of legitimate charities, those doing essential work in our communities, nationally and around the globe," said Owen Charters, Executive Director, CanadaHelps. "These legitimate organizations cannot afford to lose the trust of generous Canadians. All Canadians should take the Charity Fraud Awareness Quiz to recognize the signs of charity fraud and help put an end to these types of crimes.
In addition to the quiz, Capital One and CanadaHelps are offering two one-hour webinars for charitable organizations to learn about the threat of charity fraud and what steps they can take to prevent it. The webinars will feature a panel discussion with an RCMP Anti-Fraud officer, the Executive Director of CanadaHelps, and a fraud expert from Capital One.
Capital One and CanadaHelps offer the following tips:
- Make sure the charity is registered with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and provides you with their charitable registration number. CanadaHelps.org only lists charities registered with the CRA. - Ask to see a charity's financial statements. These should be readily available to anyone who asks and give you a sense of how the charity spends their money. - Understand the impact the charity has and what difference they make in the community. Charities should be able to give you clear outcomes of the programs or services they provide. - Research the causes you want to support and how much of your budget you want to donate to charity. You will feel less pressured to give when solicited if you have already planned your giving. - Avoid any charity that pressures you into making a donation or isn't open to sharing more information about their organization.
About the Charity Fraud Awareness Quiz
No purchase necessary. Each person who completes the online quiz on charity fraud at www.CanadaHelps.org and provides the name of their preferred charity is automatically given one entry. Organizations must be federally registered charities with the Canadian Revenue Agency. Contest begins at 9:00:00 a.m. ET on March 1, 2010 and closes at 9:00:00 p.m. ET on March 31, 2010. Full contest details at www.canadahelps.org. Skill testing question required. Four prizes of a $1000 donation and one grand prize of a $20,000 donation available to be won. Not open to residents of Quebec or the Territories
About Capital One
Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).
About CanadaHelps
CanadaHelps is an online donations website where donors can give safely and securely to all charities in Canada that are registered with the Canada Revenue Agency. The mission of CanadaHelps is to engage Canadians in the charitable sector and provide accessible and affordable online technology to both donors and charities to promote - and ultimately increase - charitable giving in Canada.
For further information: Media Contact: Laurel Ostfield, (416) 549-2753, [email protected]; Owen Charters, (416) 628-6948 ext. 31, [email protected]
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