Burma cyclone appeal advice

If you plan to donate to charities helping victims of the Burmese cyclone then the Charity Commission has issued some online advice.

The organisation has warned of fraudsters hoping to cash in on the wave of public sympathy and has advised all potential doners to be wary of scams.

You should check that anyone asking for aid is doing so on behalf of a registered charity and check the online register of charities on the Charity Commission's website if you have any doubts.

The Charity Commission has also advised that you should add Gift Aid to the contribution wherever possible, as this will increase the donation by 28p in every £1.

Cyclone Nargis has left a trail of devastation in Burma, also known as Myanmar, with survivors lacking food, clean water and medical supplies.

Estimates from aid organisations say that hundreds of thousands of people may have already died, with many more in desperate need of help.

However, Burma's military junta has restricted the access of both aid agencies and press to the area, meaning that accurate information about the disaster is hard to come by.

www.charitycommission.gov.uk
www.dec.org.uk