Thousands of pounds donated as part of the “#nomakeupselfie” craze were sent to Unicef instead of Cancer Research UK by mistake, the BBC has learned.
More than £1m has been raised after the craze of taking a self-portrait with no make-up spread virally.
But those texting “DONATE” rather than “BEAT” found their money sent to the wrong charity.
Others accidentally enquired about adopting a polar bear from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
UN agency Unicef told the BBC that so far £18,625 has been identified as being accidentally pledged.
It said it was now working with Cancer Research UK to transfer the funds donated so they can be used as intended.
Mike Flynn, director of individual giving at Unicef UK, said it was a “genuine mix-up”.
“Unicef believes this error has occurred due to those interested in donating to the #nomakeupselfie campaign sharing the text keyword ‘DONATE’ – rather than the keyword ‘BEAT’ – and the text number 70099, which has then been repeated across social media.
“‘DONATE to 70099’ is an SMS keyword and shortcode combination that Unicef have sole use of, specifically for any members of the public who contact us and wish to donate to us via SMS.” He added: “Unicef is not responsible for this error however we’ve been working hard to find a resolution to the situation for those affected.
“We contacted Cancer Research [UK] as soon as we became aware of what was happening. Unicef and Cancer Research [UK] have agreed that these donations will be received in full by Cancer Research [UK].
“We are now working closely with all parties involved to ensure that this doesn’t happen again in the future.”
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