Charity collection cons

Some doorstep charity collections may not be what they seem. The operators of such appeals give very little information about themselves on the leaflets that they post through your letterbox. This is because they probably don't represent a genuine cause and are usually operating for personal gain. Unfortunately not as much money raised (either via direct collection or from the sale of collected household items) goes to the charity as consumers would expect but is retained by the organisers as profits.

There are many legitimate and thoroughly worthwhile collections but some operate for individual profit rather than the good cause as claimed in their leaflets.

If you are approached by somebody collecting for charity, and you're not sure whether they are genuine or not, the Charity Commission's Safer Giving code provides some tips that may help you feel more comfortable about giving.

The Charity Commission strongly recommends that all collectors should:

• be able to produce a valid local authority or police licence
• wear an ID badge (donors should look out for any ID that looks altered, photocopied or home-made)
• have a sealed collection container with the charity's registration number and name on it - does it match the details on their ID badge? Collectors should also be able to tell you how to contact the charity direct
• be able to prove that they have the charity's permission to collect. Collectors from professional fundraising companies must, by law, declare how much of the donation they will be paid, and they should be able to produce a copy of a written agreement with the charity. Thank-you letters and receipts from charities don't count as permission to collect!

  If you are still doubtful about the collector:

• contact the Charity Commission to check the charity registration number or discuss any concerns - either via the helpline on 0870 333 0123 or by searching the online charity register www.charitycommission.gov.uk
• contact your local authority or police to check whether the collector has been granted a licence or needs one to collect
• above all, don't feel pressurised - send your donation to the charity direct. This may mean going to a little more trouble, but at least you can be sure that your donation will get to where it's intended

  Genuine fundraisers will be happy to answer questions and won't mind you checking them out. We want to make sure that donations go to legitimate charities and not fraudsters.

  Notes

  In some parts of London, the police also issue collection licences. A small minority of charities currently have a Home Office (HO) exemption order which permits them to carry out street collections without a licence. For further details on HO exemptions please call the HO public inquiry desk on 020 7273 4599.

If you suspect that someone is operating a fraudulent charity collection ...

Tell your local Trading Standards Service and tell us - it may help us to stop them and protect other people.