Stamford Hill, London – Charity Scammers Strike Fear in Community

    9

    Stamford Hill, London – Confidence tricksters are targeting Jewish community members and claiming to be collecting donations for Israeli charities.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    One man, wearing a long beard and black hat and using the name “Yuval”, has contacted retired, wealthy pensioners in south London and the Midlands.

    He quotes legitimate charities, and knows personal details about his victims, including their marital status, home addresses and telephone numbers.

    It is thought he may work in partnership with a woman using the name “Irene”. They ask for money to be sent to an address in Stamford Hill, north London.

    A 62-year-old woman in Birmingham has been contacted three times. She was left so frightened by the incidents that she reported them to the Community Security Trust.

    In the first approach, the man arrived at her house, banged on the door and shouted her name.

    “I could hear him talking to someone in Hebrew and then he went away again,” she said.
    “The next day the phone rang and the same voice came on. He said: ‘I came to speak to you yesterday.’ He seemed to know things about me, including that I was divorced.”

    The woman was told the money would be used to “save young boys from getting into trouble”, but doubting the man’s credentials she refused to make a donation.

    “He was very aggressive and I asked him to leave me alone and stop harassing me, but a week later he rang again and asked to see me.”

    A few days later she received a call from “Irene”, saying: “It is nearly Pesach and I need tzedakah (charity) or else I’ll be evicted.”

    Last month, a woman in Bromley, Kent, described how she and her husband received an almost identical approach from the same man.

    “A chap came on the phone with an Israeli accent and said he wanted to visit us that evening.

    “He did not give a very clear explanation, but said he was in Golders Green and knew our home address,” said the woman.

    “He wanted money for charity and called it a ‘beautiful Israeli custom’. It felt like one of those Nigerian scams.”

    When contacted by the JC on the mobile phone number he left with the victims, “Yuval” said: “I’m in Israel now, I’m not in England. I cannot talk to you, it costs too much.

    “I cannot give you any directions [sic] because I’m not in England. Someone has mistaken you. I did not collect any money.” He then hung up.

    Mark Gardner, CST communications director, said: “It is a sad fact that occasionally people try to take advantage of our charitable goodwill.
    “If people have suspicions about collectors then they should request details of the charity and defer payment until satisfied that it is genuine.”


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group


    9 Comments
    Most Voted
    Newest Oldest
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    chaim
    chaim
    14 years ago

    i live in miami, the same idea happends here, u give somebody a check they copy the address and send out to all the meshulachim

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    the way it should work is that every shul should have a kupah and the only way for a meshlach to get to that kpa is for the meshlach to go to the gabbai of that shul meshulach mst have valit permit from the vadd of tzedaka otherwise he doesnt get . . no more banging on peoples doors .

    Leah
    Leah
    14 years ago

    There is a reason it says to first give tzedokah for someone in your community? Dont you have a friend, family member or neighbor who is struggling?

    Zevy
    Zevy
    14 years ago

    Some rabanim in my neighborhood refuse any collectors in shul and when simchas are made by shul members there are no collectors allowed in the simcha hall.

    The rabanim take all the details of the collectors and check them out to make sure they are really collecting for who they say they are collecting for.

    About 95% of the collectors turn out to be fraudsters.

    There is one collector that says he is collecting for “hachnosos kallah” but the man is a thief for two reasons. This collector owes some people a few thousand dollars and walks around telling everyone he has no money and he is collecting for no organization and refuses to say who the money is going to. The man owns two brand new leased cars and owns a home upstate.

    Anyone who gives to these type of people who are outright ganavim are fools.

    Before investing in a business don’t we check things out the best we can? Why do we just throw money to people who are not jewish and to people who are jewish not ehrlich and act like goyim?

    There are some regular collectors in shuls all across town and some of them are not even jewish. These ganavim put on hats, white shirts and even wear tzizis and fools give them money!

    Just this morning I asked one collector what time shkiya is today and he asked back shkiya? What is shakeeya the collector asked? I also asked which yeshiva he went to and did not know what the word yeshiva is!

    If someone wants to give tzedaka and wants to be a fool and throw away money why not give the money to Bernie Madoff ? Bernie knows what to do with the money.

    The best way to give tzedaka is to give to family and friends that you know are having hard times. I am sure everyone knows a friend or family member that is suffering from lack of resources and most of these people are not living lavish lifestyles that put them in the situation that they are in.

    Zindel
    Zindel
    14 years ago

    #2 is 100% on the money…
    These stories is excectly what you can expect with the mshugaas of our oilem to give to all org. All over the world (which is perfectly fine) but they forget about all the needy neighbors & orgenizatin right in their bakyard!!!
    You can see some questionable org. Oversees leaving the U.S. Loaded with cash while our own org. Even the most vital ones like Hatzalah ETC are struggling to make ends meet!

    Gypsies
    Gypsies
    14 years ago

    Ask your Gabbai. If he doesn’t know them just give a dollar.
    In my shul, I noticed collectors are now handing out envelopes.
    When I visited NY, there were Gypsies who haunting called out Tzedakaaaaaaaaah, Tzedakaaaaaaaaaaah. Like a ghost. I was so young and freightened I gave a five dollar bill. Hey, let’s all be dan lchaf zechus and ask our Gabaiim. If unknown, hizhir. Yet, absolutely give to the good respected and very worthy local and national charities. May HKBH protect us from evil and allow us to do good.