Local charities say they are targets of a scam

ATLANTA — At least three local children's charities complain they've been targeted by an elaborate, and potentially expensive scam.

Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland confirmed Monday that checks sent to the charities from a London donor are fraudulent.

The logo of SunTrust Bank has been pirated on the checks. Each are made out for $39,850. %

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Other charities report the scammers then claimed to have donated too much and request a portion of the money back.

The refund would be real dollars drawn on the charity's actual account.

"It makes you have a bad day because you can't understand how people can be this awful," said Holly Ranney, co-founder of Sunshine on a Ranney Day.

Her nonprofit provides home renovations to chronically ill and severely injured children.

The charity's board chair, Channel 2 political reporter Lori Geary, learned of the donation and investigated.

"It was like, ‘Hold on. Let me check this out.’ So I Googled the names on it and the second Google page was, 'Scam,'" Geary said. %

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The supposed donors are real people who have reported their identities stolen.

"They're stealing from children," said Nicole Burroughs, development director for the Atlanta Music Project.

The children's charity provides after-school music education to inner city youth. They were also targeted.

“There are a lot of small to medium nonprofits who would be super excited to receive this check," Burroughs said.  "For someone to come in and try to blindside a charitable organization … it's just wrong."

Strickland found reports of charities in Tennessee and New Jersey having received the checks as well.

Cox Media Group