Trading standards bosses are warning businesses to be vigilant after one company was targeted by fraudsters.
Tom Dunn, 36, paid for his Wigan construction company, Dunn Canadian UK, to be advertised in a wall planner, published by Chestnut House.
All proceeds of the wall planner would go towards Honeyrose Foundation, a charity based in St Helens, making dr
eams come true for terminally ill people.
The Evening Post understands both organisations are legitimate and do work with each other to produce the wall planners. But Mr Dunn was also contacted by a bogus organisation, claiming Chestnut House was fake, and that Mr Dunn actually owed them the money.
When Mr Dunn rang Chestnut House he was assured his payment had gone through and he did not owe any money.
It is believed the fake callers may have had access to Chestnut House's customer list.
Honeyrose Foundation has received several complaints of a similar nature, but insists Chestnut House is legitimate.
Lynn Duffy, chief executive of Honeyrose Foundation, said: "I checked this company out with Trading Standards and the Charity Commission and they were doing as they say they were.
"But there are other companies out there that say they are working for
a charity, but they are not.
"We are working really hard to get the charity going and get sponsors.
"If anybody out there is doing this, we need to know about it and get it sorted."
Chestnut House said if the customer could prove they had paid someone else, it will not make them pay again.
Julie Middlehurst, from Wigan's Trading Standards, said said: "The advice we would give is if you have been contacted in this way, ask the company for evidence of the contract."
The full article contains 291 words and appears in Wigan Evening Post newspaper.
