Scam Charities
| Published: 3rd September 2007 14:50 |
Scam Charities
Many charities now ask householders for old clothes and other items, which can be sold for charitable purposes. However, not everyone who comes to your home, or drops in a plastic bag is operating on behalf of a charity. Some collectors will be businesses, asking for unwanted items which can be sold for profit.
For further information, including help to establish the validity of a charity, visit the Charity Commission by clicking Here
It is estimated by the Association of Charity Shops that the potential value of donated clothing and other items ‘lost' to legitimate charities as a result of these bogus collections amounts to over £1m per annum. Many genuine charities rely on such doorstep collections for a substantial proportion of their shop sales.
Typically, householders receive flyers through their letterboxes appealing for donations of unwanted clothes, footwear and sometimes other household and electrical items to be distributed to poor individuals and families in Eastern European or third world countries.
Householders are asked to leave the goods in a plastic bag by the front door. These are later collected anonymously.
The flyers give the misleading impression that the items are being collected for charitable purposes. In reality, the collections seem to be organised by commercial operators who sell the donated items for profit. The misleading impression is in some instances reinforced by reference to a registration number, which people may think is that of a Registered Charity but is in fact either a limited company number or may have no meaning at all.
If a householder has any doubts about a leaflet asking for donations, they should:
contact the Charity Commission helpline on 0870 333 0123 to check whether the collection is for, or on behalf of, a registered charity, or visit their website Charity Commission as above.
contact their local authority to see if the collector has been licensed
give direct to a local charity shop instead or donate to a charity shop collection sack. These should make clear reference to the charity registration number and many will also carry the Association of Charity Shops Kitemark.
Street Collections
Street charity raffle collectors are a regular feature of some high streets and shopping centres. The vast majority are bona fide and are from recognised, genuine charities. But, you may be approached by people selling raffle tickets for unspecified charities. They might say that money from the tickets will go towards 'children's charities' or research. However, they probably won't say what percentage of the money is passed on, nor will they specify which charity it is! Some people have found, to their horror, that the organisers only promise to give very small amounts, say £5,000, to charity, when total tickets sales can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Make sure you are giving to genuine charities - ask the ticket seller the name of the charity they are collecting for, ask to read the terms on the ticket before you buy, and if they claim to be from a named charity, ask for some ID, which genuine charities insist their collectors carry.
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