Beware of Fake Charity Collections
(Date of issue: Friday, 11 July 2008)
Make sure you know who your old clothes are going, is the
warning issued today by Carlisle City Council Cumbria Constabulary
Cumbria and Cumbria County Council’s Trading Standards
department.
Householders in Carlisle and District have been targeted in the
last few weeks with a leaflet through letterboxes asking residents
to put their unwanted clothes and other items in plastic bags for
collection.
These leaflets often state that people in the developing world
will benefit from the donations made.
"It is natural for the householder to assume the
company arranging the collection is a charity, but this is often
not the case,"
warns Jim Messenger, Licensing Manager for Carlisle City
Council, he added;
"these leaflets often have a company name and
registration number on it, giving the mistaken impression that it
is a registered charity. Inevitably this raises the question as to
who will benefit from the collection. The leaflets usually indicate
if it is a commercial collection or a charitable collection,
householders must make up their own mind as to the type of
organisation they wish to donate their unwanted clothing".
If householders have 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 www.charity-commission.gov.uk
If they are still not sure then they may take their goods direct
to a local charity shop.