Charities spot a serial badge thief

Charities using the corporate fundraising special interest group email list have realised that a woman is asking for badges from each of them and not paying up.

The woman "Shelly Best" or "Shelley Best" has successfully asked Asthma UK, The Children's Trust, Macmillan Cancer Relief, National Autistic Society, National Literacy Trust to send her a few badges, offering to send them a cheque. She then claims that the badges haven't arrived and asks for some more. No cheque is forthcoming from her.

In some messages Ms Best claims to work for the Bank of New York but enquiries at the bank's security department have found that no-one with that name is an employee there. Another charity reports that she claimed to work for another company.

Until this is resolved, it is better not to send any badges to "Shelley Best" or at least not until she has actually paid for them.

Richard Sved, Head of Fundraising at the National Literacy Trust, is asking charities who have been contacted by this woman regarding badges in the past to get in touch with him.