Organisations received emails asking for payment for the Fundraising Preference Service

Charities are being warned to watch out for scam emails asking for payment for the Fundraising Preference Service.

Fraudsters have been sending out the emails, which come from an email address not linked to the service and direct recipients to an external website.

The Fundraising Regulator raised awareness of the scam earlier this week, and said that it does not believe that any charities have handed over money.

A spokesman said: “We have been made aware of an email scam being sent to charities, asking to receive payment for the Fundraising Preference Service or implying that an invoice is due.

“We would like to clarify that we do not send out invoices for the Fundraising Preference Service, as the cost of this service is covered by the fundraising levy.”

The spokesman added that the dodgy email invoices did not relate to money for future payments. He added: “We would also like to ensure that those organisations who fall within the scope of the fundraising levy do not assume the invoices we are currently sending for year two are in any way associated with this fraudulent scheme.

“Our levy year two invoices are sent using email address: [email protected]”

The regulator started the FPS this year to allow people to block post, telephone, email or text communications from named charities. It is designed to ensure that people, particularly elderly people, are not bombarded by calls and letters from charities looking for donations.

A levy has been set for UK charities by the regulator depending on how much each charity spends on raising voluntary income. However, last year charities in Scotland were advised not to use the service, which the Scottish Fundraising Standards Panel deems unnecessary north of the border.

Anyone who thinks they may have been targeted by the scam is asked to phone 0300 999 3407 or email [email protected]