Singaporean man barred from conducting fundraising for charitable purposes: MCCY, MSF

An archived version of Direct Hope's website from August 2024, which shows it marketing itself as a social youth enterprise. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM INTERNET ARCHIVE

Aqil Hamzah

UPDATED Jun 10, 2025, 11:26 AM

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SINGAPORE - A 26-year-old Singaporean man has been barred from carrying out any fundraising activities after he was found to have breached multiple regulations.

Starting from June 10 , Mr Eugene Liow Chia Hau will no longer be able to raise funds for charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purposes, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) in a statement that same day.

The prohibition order was first published in the electronic gazette on June 9 and was issued by the Commissioner of Charities (COC). T he Straits Times had approached MCCY for more information upon the publication of the notice.

In their June 10 statement, the ministries said the COC had received feedback between July 2023 and January 2024 about fundraising appeals carried out by Direct Hope , which was run by Mr Liow.

Direct Hope had been engaged by the youth charity Bilby Community Development as a commercial fundraiser between May 2023 and January 2024.

The feedback led to an investigation by MSF, which found Mr Liow to have breached multiple regulations under the Charities (Fund-raising Appeals for Local and Foreign Charitable Purposes) Regulations 2012.

He did not implement “control measures and safeguards to ensure proper accountability” of the donations collected by Direct Hope, nor ways to prevent donations from being lost or stolen.

Mr Liow also did not keep proper accounting records of the fundraising appeals, and did not have a list of the personal particulars of those who had helped Direct Hope solicit for donations.

A sole proprietorship , Direct Hope was not a registered charity , with a search of its business records listing its principal activity as “other social services without accommodation”.

Its other principal activity involved the sale of handicrafts, collectibles and gifts.

Incorporated in August 2021 , its business licence expired in August 2024 and was not renewed , with a search on its website showing that it is no longer active.

An archived version dated in August 2024 showed that it marketed itself as a “community driven social youth enterprise” that aimed to help marginalised youth.

This was done through “teaching them important life skills & values, giving them community support and by alleviating their financial burdens through job opportunities and entrepreneurial projects”.

A search online showed that complaints about Direct Hope going door-to-door soliciting donations have been circulating since at least 2022.

Advising the public to be discerning when approached by those soliciting donations, the ministries said that although most fundraising appeals are genuine, it is important to verify that their donations are going to legitimate causes.

Besides asking questions, the ministries said that people can check through the Charity Portal at www.charities.gov.sg to find out if a charity is registered or has shared details of its public fundraising appeal.

Otherwise, they can scan a QR code on the official letter provided by the charitable organisation, which will lead to more details on the Charity Portal.

They can also send an SMS to 79777 , which should be formatted as FR, followed by a space, and the organisation’s name , or call the Charities Unit at 6337 6597 .

“Members of the public should not feel pressured to give if they have concerns or suspect that an appeal for donations is not legitimate,” the statement said.

If one suspects that a fundraising activity may be suspicious, they can make a report to the COC at mccy_charities@mccy.gov.sg. If it is a suspected scam or fraud case, then they should file a police report immediately.

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