This sad story brings home the effect that scammers can have on real life, and has important messages for Boards, IT and Fundraisers.
Wales Air Ambulance created a competition to win a VIP visit to their base, and it was hoped to be a significant fundraiser for them.
However, almost immediately a scammer set up fake Facebook and Instagram accounts in the name of Wales Air Ambulance, encouraging people to give their personal and financial details. Wales Air Ambulance quickly acted to notify their supporters, and shortly afterwards felt they had to cancel the competition.
You can read the full statements on their website https://www.walesairambulance.com/announcement
To use their own words, “It’s a sad world where somebody would want to target a lifesaving Charity.”
This should be a warning for us all:
- Boards – are your cyber security plans up to date and adequate (see last week’s insight article on the NCSC cyber security toolkit for Boards, to check)
- IT teams – Are you ready to quickly react to this sort of cyber security incident? When did you last bench test your plans?
- Fundraisers – What can you do to mitigate the risks? Are you ready to work with Boards and IT if this sad situation should happen to you?