Moncton food bank warns about donation scam

The head of Moncton's Food Depot Alimentaire says they have gone to RCMP after reports someone has been collecting money door to door in their name.

Dale Hicks says the food depot got a call from a resident on Portledge Avenue in Garden Hill about someone collecting money in the neighbourhood for the food bank.

Hicks calls it a scam.

“We had a resident call us [Wednesday] and ask us if we had people out soliciting door to door on behalf of Food Depot Alimentaire and we said no,” he said.

Hicks says he was told the person collecting money had identification.

Collector carried ID

“I guess, I suppose, they picked it off a website and duplicated it and presented themselves on behalf of Food Depot Alimentaire and soliciting funds and of course we're not doing that,” he said.

According to Hicks, the food depot is only fundraising online and accepting donations at its offices.

He says it’s easy this time of the year to take advantage of people’s good nature.

“This is the trouble when you have an organization, I mean people like to give, to help others and the food bank is an easy target if you want to go out there and try to pull off a scam,” he said.

“We tried to make the public aware of what we're doing in terms of fundraising efforts but sometimes people take advantage and sometimes the public is unknowing so it's good that someone called and hopefully we stopped it before it got too far.”

A message on the Food Depot Alimentaire’s website asks people not to give to anyone who comes to their door asking for money on their behalf.