Lancashire council staff in
trading standards jobs have warned consumers in the county to be aware of scammers operating fake charity collections.
Officers say it is becoming increasingly evident that leaflets advertising collections of old clothing and other goods are from commercial enterprises rather than charities.
However, these pamphlets are carefully worded to give the opposite impression.
Consumers should check whether the organisation behind a particular collection is in fact a non-profit organisation by looking for a registered charity number on the bags that are left by collectors, the council says.
Residents should be wary of bags that do not state a charity name or contact landline number, as well as those that feature poor spelling or a company registration number instead of a charity number.
"Bogus charity scams are a national problem which abuse the trust and generosity of those who want to make donations," explained Albert Atkinson, cabinet member responsible for trading standards at Lancashire County Council.
Earlier this week, trading standards officers at the council revealed they had seized a significant haul of counterfeit goods during an operation at an address in east Lancashire.
Posted by Marc Casey
