NVPC cautions the public and donors about an online platform called “Giving Nepal” (http://www.givingnepal.org) by Giving Nepal Foundation that is currently hosting unauthorised fundraising campaigns.
27 September 2018, Singapore – The National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) which runs the national giving portal Giving.sg (https://www.giving.sg), would like to caution the public and donors about an online platform called “Giving Nepal”
(http://www.givingnepal.org) by Giving Nepal Foundation that is currently hosting unauthorised fundraising campaigns.
Originally housed on Giving.sg, six fundraising campaigns have been posted on the “Giving Nepal” website, without the consent of the respective fundraisers. These charities do not receive any monies donated through the “Giving Nepal” website. NVPC has lodged a police report with the Singapore Police Force and the relevant authorities are investigating this matter now. The Commissioner of Charities, fundraisers, and affected charities have also been informed.
The six campaigns that have been duplicated onto the “Giving Nepal” website are:
- “Help 8 residents raise 100k for the home” in aid of St. John’s Home For Elderly Persons (http://www.givingnepal.org/?s=…)
- “RAD Race – Run, Jus, Run!” in aid of SGH Health Development Fund (http://www.givingnepal.org/pro…)
- “MOE supports President’s Challenge 2018” in aid of President’s Challenge (http://www.givingnepal.org/pro…)
- “Yoga for helpers” in aid of Marymount Centre (http://www.givingnepal.org/pro…)
- “Dads On The Greens’ – Charity Golf 2018 in Aid of Centre For Fathering on Fri, 14 Sept 2018” (http://www.givingnepal.org/pro…)
- “Girl Guides Singapore” in aid of Girl Guides Singapore (http://www.givingnepal.org/pro…)
We urge the public and all parties interested to donate to the above charities to do so on Giving.sg (https://www.giving.sg).
Any member of the public who has donated to the above campaigns on the “Giving Nepal” website is advised to contact NVPC’s Giving.sg at [email protected], the Commissioner of Charities, or the relevant charities directly.
At NVPC, we advocate and promote informed giving. This means encouraging the beneficiaries to disclose where the donation is going to, who it is helping, and what impact it will make. We urge donors to exercise judgement before giving towards charitable causes online.
We assure the public that Giving.sg is still a safe and secured online platform and there is no security breach. No donors’ information has been leaked too.
Tips on informed giving and cybersecurity for crowdfunding platform
At NVPC and Giving.sg, we take cybersecurity seriously and work with independent security consultants to review the system architecture and codes during development. Additionally, we engage reputable international audit firms to audit the system security and business process annually. Giving.sg has a high rating for its security and internal controls.
Here are some steps that the public can take before making a donation online.
A) Check if the website is legitimate
- Check the sender’s URL address to verify the authenticity of the email before clicking on any links.
- Here’s how you can tell a secure website from an insecure website:
- “HTTP://” is how a normal website without any encryption begins.
- “HTTPS://” is a secure website with an encrypted connection. These websites are often marked by a lock near the web address in most web browsers.
- Never trust a HTTP website with your personal information.
Non-secure websites often have a lot of extra symbols like dashes before the first period.
B) Check if the fundraiser or beneficiary is legitimate
- Donors can visit the Commissioner of Charities website (charities.gov.sg) to find out if the beneficiary is registered as a charity. Read about the latest Safer Giving guidelines that advise donors to “Ask, Check, Give”.
For media interviews and queries, please contact:
Jessica Chai Pei Shan
NVPC, Lead, Comms and PR
HP: 9823 8554
Email: [email protected]
