Wyndham shoppers have been urged to watch out for a man at a Tarneit shopping centre claiming to be collecting money for a children’s charity.
A man has been spotted collecting money at Tarneit Gardens shopping centre a number of times during the past month, taking donations from shoppers for the Children’s Cancer Institute.
A spokeswoman for the institute said the matter had been referred to Victoria Police and Consumer Affairs Victoria, which are investigating.
“Children’s Cancer Institute was recently contacted by a member of the public to alert us that an individual – unknown to us – appeared to be making unauthorised collections on our behalf, using images of our logo and branding without our permission,” she said.
The spokeswoman said only accredited organisations and approved community fundraisers were employed by the organisation to raise money on its behalf.
Any such organisation or individual would be subject to an approval process before being granted permission, and they would be supplied with the logo and approved usage guidelines.
“It is extremely disappointing to hear that funds may have, in fact, been collected without our authority, but we are confident that this is an isolated occurrence and we have every confidence that police will resolve the matter,” she said.
Tarneit Gardens centre management and Victoria Police have been contacted for comment.
