The Wales Air Ambulance has warned people on social media to be vigilant after a fake account was set up pretending to be the life-saving charity. The accounts have been set up on Facebook and Instagram with the aim to entice people to enter their credit card details online in order to win a gift.
On the account, a post states: “Congratulations, you are a happy person who got a gift from us! Follow the last step by clicking on the registration button below! REMEMBER, when you need to enter a credit card number, select the TRIAL option for free options, credit cards are just one of the requirements for verifying your data! This event is 100% FREE!!”
That account has 260 followers on Instagram, but the real Wales Air Ambulance account has almost nine and a half thousand. The charity has issued a warning that people should ignore any request to enter personal details, saying: “We will never ask for any payment details or personal data over these platforms. If you come across this account (the fake one) please report it.” To get the latest WalesOnline newsletters e-mailed to you directly for free, click here.
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It seems whoever was behind the scam was taking advantage of a competition the Wales Air Ambulance launched last week. Steven Stokes, director of strategic communications and engagement at the charity, said: "Unfortunately, over the weekend a scammer has set up fake Instagram and Facebook accounts in our charity’s name. For clarification, our Facebook account is Wales Air Ambulance Charity NOT Wales Air’ Ambulance Charity. Our Instagram username is @air_ambulance NOT @wales_air_ambulance_charity.
"As part of the charity’s new rebrand, which was announced on Friday (20 May), we offered our supporters a chance to enter a competition to win an airbase visit. Entries were via our Facebook and Instagram accounts. The scammers have since set up fake Wales Air Ambulance Facebook and Instagram accounts and are using the competition to encourage people to click a link and ‘register’, where they then gain personal/financial details from our dedicated supporters.
"We are working tirelessly to protect our supporters and our charity from these fraudsters. We identified the issue early on and acted immediately by informing our followers and reporting the fake accounts to the social media companies. The reporting process to date has been frustrating, for both us and our supporters, with a lack of acknowledgement and action from the companies involved. However, we continue to do everything we can to have these fake accounts removed.
"In addition, we have cancelled the competition in a bid to stop this scam from escalating. We hope that this will further help our supporters to distinguish between the real and fake accounts and protect them from this fraudulent activity. It is extremely disappointing that there are people who have no conscience when it comes to targeting a charity and its lifesaving supporters. Thankfully, this is a rare occurrence and, as mentioned, we will do everything we can to protect our supporters and our charity.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our followers who have reported the fake accounts, spread the message and shown their passionate support of our charity. If anybody has clicked the link and shared their personal details, please contact Action Fraud. Alternatively, if you have any questions or concerns, please email media@walesairambulance.com."
People reacted with fury online, questioning what type of person would want to profit from a scam in the name of a charity which saves lives and relies entirely on donations. Wales Air Ambulance does not receive any direct government funding and does not qualify for funding from the National Lottery, but it needs around £8m each year just to operate. Despite those challenges, it still manages to attend more than 3,500 incidents every year in Wales.
One person commented on the scam on Facebook and said there were “extremely sad people out there - I hope they don’t need you (Wales Air Ambulance) when they are in dire need”, while another poster wrote: “Some people will stoop lower than a snake’s belly. Shame on them.”
Wales Air Ambulance has said that it has reported the issue to both Facebook and Instagram and are hoping to get the fake accounts on both platforms removed.
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