Beware the Ryan Brooks charity fraud call!

During the call, the individual introduced himself as Thomas and spun a tale of being at Emmaus in Peterborough, despite such a place not existing, and further claimed to have been beaten up in South Wales, a story that was riddled with inconsistencies and raised significant suspicions

A gentleman with an English accent, who was courteous and soft-spoken, alleged to be from a town close to my church. He said he was assaulted and robbed in Lancaster, leaving him short of funds to return home. He mentioned having a police crime number, stating the incident was witnessed, and that £39 would suffice for his needs. His mispronunciation of Llanelli raised doubts. When I inquired more about Llanelli, he provided only scant, poorly researched details. He likely obtained my number from the church’s website, targeting the area. I told him I’d pray for him. Clearly a donation scam.

Suspected scam.

Like the other reports, I'm a pastor in Norwich and was contacted by someone named Ryan Brooks claiming he’d been beaten and needed money for a train back to Norwich because Emmaus, his supposed employer, wouldn’t help. He referenced our sister church, sounding genuine at first, but slipped up with inaccurate details that raised alarms. A call to Emmaus confirmed he’s known to them as a fraudster.

You can report this scam easily – just text the details to 7726 and follow the reply instructions to confirm. For more on phishing, check the NCSC website’s PHISHING section. In short: forward calls, texts to 7726, and email screenshots of any suspicious messages. Cheers!

The caller, who went by the name Ryan Brooks, told a story similar to those reported by others, claiming to be in distress and needing help, but his story contained inaccuracies that raised suspicions.

To effectively combat this scam, it is essential to report it by texting the details to 7726 and following the provided instructions, as outlined on the National Cyber Security Centre website, which offers guidance on reporting suspect phishing scams via calls, texts, and emails.

Like many reports, I’m a NE pastor and he asked for travel cash, claiming veteran status. As a veteran myself I requested his regimental number, which he couldn’t supply. This was his second call this year – a full‑blown scam.

Another similar tale – a caller with a north‑west England accent introduced himself as Ryan Brooks, claiming a violent robbery left him stranded after a Lancaster “presentation”. He said he was rough‑sleeping near Cockerham and needed money to reach Emmaus Leeds, despite a vicar already giving £20; he pressed for an extra £50 under time pressure, offering no clear reason why police or his “employer” hadn’t helped.

I recently received a call from a man claiming he’d been a crime victim. He said he was in Lancaster but needed to return to Llandudno, yet couldn’t recall his exact location because of a “fuzzy head” after an alleged attack. He confused Wales, saying it was just down the road from Bridgend. He also mentioned Emmaus, asked for £39.95, gave a NatWest account, and provided a support worker’s name, Susan Lomax, with the number 07873 895055.

Similar to other reports. They contacted our charity with a North West England accent, posing as Ryan Brooks. He spun a tale of being robbed violently, providing a crime reference number. Claiming to be near Cockerham after a Lancaster presentation, he mentioned rough sleeping and scavenging for food. He sought funds to return to Emmaus Leeds, stating a vicar had given him £20 but needed £50 more. The story was filled with urgency, remote locations, and implausible details, lacking logical support from authorities or his employer.

He called, claiming to be a crime victim in Lancaster needing to return to Llandudno. When questioned about his Llandudno address, he couldn’t recall due to a ‘fuzzy head’ from the attack. He mistakenly thought Wales was a single city, mentioning it was near Bridgend. He identified as Ryan Brooks from Emmaus, requested £39.95, and provided Natwest bank details. He also mentioned a support worker, Susan Lomax, with her phone number: 07873895055.

Like many reports, I'm a Vicar in Oldham. He introduced himself as Mr Brooks, a veteran who says he's been assaulted. He claims he needs to travel from Lancaster back to Chadderton in Oldham and asked me to send money to his mother's bank account.

At 9pm a man named Coleal Brooks claimed to work for Emmaus and said he was stuck in Cockerham trying to get back to Bury after an attack, even rattling off a police log number. He’d been rough‑sleeping in a farmer’s field for two nights. I spotted the polite scam within seconds and offered to buy him a click‑and‑collect ticket, which he declined, so I prayed with him instead. I’m a vicar in Bolton, and he’d Googled churches in Bury, landing on the Antioch network. Wild, huh? Mate

A warning was issued about this number, which was attempting to scam by creating a plausible narrative about needing money for travel