A charity is warning people to be wary of fraudsters collecting money in its name after a cafe customer became the latest to be scammed.

Joleene Gonzalez thought she was donating to Disability Rights UK when she was approached by a young girl presenting as deaf inside the Market House in Tonbridge.

The massage therapist had gone to the cafe to get some work done on November 28 when a piece of paper was put in front of her urging her to donate to the good cause.

Talking of the encounter, the 47-year-old said: “I was quite busy at the time, and I was really consumed in my work otherwise I think I might have hesitated beforehand.

“This girl just appeared to my right and as I glanced round, she sort of came from nowhere, then she pointed to the piece of paper and indicated that she couldn’t speak and so I realised I was dealing with a deaf person.

“The piece of paper pointed to a deaf charity, and I said ‘yeah sure I’ll put some money down, that’s no problem’ and she indicated she had a card machine and I tapped my card.”

However, when Joleene paid the £10, a notification appeared from her bank on her phone which showed the transaction had been paid to a personal account.

The charity, Disability Rights UK, has since confirmed it does not do street fundraising and strongly advises victims to report these activities to the police.

Joleene continued: “I said to the girl ‘hang on a minute, why has that gone into a private bank?’ That should be showing up as a disability charity or at least some sort of umbrella company but it was clearly a personal account, a personal name.

“Then she just kept pointing at the sheet, so I said ‘no, write down what you’re trying to say because I’m actually quite concerned now that I’ve just paid, what is this?’

“Then she wrote down, ‘this is my boss’, which also just sounds pretty dodgy to me as well.”

Joleene, who has lived in Tonbridge for almost 10 years, then told the girl it was “not okay” but the fraudster, who appeared to be in her 20s, moved away.

The mum-of-two added: “I realised at that stage, it’s definitely a fraud. I’m usually quite switched on with things, but she just caught me at that moment really.”

After taking a closer look at the piece of paper she noticed there was no charity number and that it looked like more of a photocopy than the original document.

Joleene said: “I felt a bit silly really. If it was more money, I would have been more upset, but I felt a bit concerned about that girl and the meaning behind it all.”

In response, a charity spokesperson for Disability Rights UK told KentOnline this scam has been ongoing for a number of months with the same people travelling from London to Margate and now appearing in Tonbridge.

The charity said: “It's important for us to state clearly that we don't do this sort of fundraising - so if anyone approaches you on the street, in a car park or other public place and claims to be collecting for Disability Rights UK, they are not and are acting fraudulently.

“Anyone doing this should understand that there are potentially serious consequences which may result…”

“We strongly advise that you do not give them any money and let us know if this happens.

“Such instances are reported to the police and are recorded as a crime, so anyone doing this should understand that there are potentially serious consequences which may result.

“Anyone who wants to support our work can do so safely and securely via the 'Donate' button on our website, and we are very grateful to all who do.”

The Market House has been contacted for more information.