We Won't Be Scammed, UK

Gabriel, rescued from scammers in Uganda

£1,000 (DOUBLE) ANGEL GRANT AWARDED TO WE WON'T BE SCAMMED (WWBS)

Finding out we had been scammed by two fake Ugandan animal rescues (Mubiru Dog Shelter and Pinky Survivor) was devastating: £1,000 of precious donor money sent to men pretending to rescue animals to make money from unsuspecting and well-meaning donors.

We have since teamed up with Nicola of We Won't Be Scammed (Instagram), who will be thoroughly vetting our waiting list and checking each new request for help. We all make mistakes, but what matters is how we move on and learn from them – and, importantly, put things in place to stop us making them again.

And by way of thank you to Nicola for protecting us, our donors and more animals from further harm, we awarded a double grant (£1,000) to her group, which is actively removing the most vulnerable animals from the fake shelters and securing emergency treatment before finding loving and safe homes for them.

With the double grant, WWBS were able to rescue Gabriel (pictured) from one of the fake shelters, where stray animals are deliberately starved and badly hurt to elicit money from animal lovers. There is nothing they won't do to get a heartbreaking photo that will entice an animal lover to send them money. Sadly, Gabriel's leg had to be amputated, but he will now be nursed back to health, fed to a healthy weight and placed in a loving home, thanks to Nicola and her team.

This is what Nicola had to say about the double grant:

Thanks to the amazing generosity of the double grant, we’ll be able to rescue and care for more vulnerable animals while continuing our work exposing scams that exploit people’s compassion for animals in need.  Even in the last few days, we have been able to coordinate the rescue efforts of two vulnerable and extremely abused dogs. Their lives will be forever changed because of your donors! We had been unable to take in more rescue cases before, as funds were so tight. The support will help cover urgent veterinary treatment, food, and safe shelter, and strengthen our efforts to protect donors from fraud. It allows us to keep helping animals while making sure kindness is never taken advantage of. We cannot thank you all enough. We actually cannot put into words how much the grant has helped us, and we (and most importantly, our rescues) are forever grateful. We would be honoured if your team could help us name them :) From a personal point of view, it has been inspiring for me to work with such compassion and like-minded people. THANKYOU! (Nicola Campbell, WWBS)

Please join us today: www.thesanctuaryangels.com.

Together, we are united against those who hurt or neglect animals.

Together, we can save lives.