Naomi Campbell claims she was victim of fraud after charity ban
Naomi Campbell claims she was victim of fraud after charity ban
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Supermodel alleges email accounts were used to impersonate her. Naomi Campbell has alleged she was the victim of fraud as she launched an appeal against a five-year charity ban. Tens of thousands of pounds were spent on luxury hotel rooms, spa treatments, cigarettes and personal security for the supermodel. Two of her fellow trustees, Bianka Hellmich and Veronica Chou, were also banned, with unauthorised payments totalling hundreds of thousands of pounds being paid to Hellmich.
Now, Campbell has claimed that she was the victim of fraud, and that a fake email address had been used to impersonate her. Her case will come before a tribunal on Friday (7 February), with the model saying she wants to “ensure that those responsible are held accountable and justice is done”. Representatives for the model claim that documents submitted to the commission contain false information, and filed evidence of a fake email account which they said was used to impersonate Campbell in communications with lawyers.
Campbell, who has previously admitted that she failed in her charity duties, said in a statement: “Ever since the commission’s report, I have fought to uncover the facts. What has been unearthed so far is shocking. I want to shine a light on how easy it is to fake identities online and prevent anybody else going through what I have been through. I want to ensure that those responsible are held accountable and justice is done.”.
She added: “Having begun legal action, I will have more to say in due course. This is just the beginning. As I have said before, I have never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so.”. The investigation last year found that between April 2016 and July 2022, only a tiny proportion (8.5 per cent) of the charity’s overall expenditure was on charitable grants. The Commission has since recovered over £344,000 and protected a further £98,000 of charitable funds. The recovered funds have been donated to the Save the Children Fund and the Mayor’s Fund for London.
