Beware Charity Conmen

4.30.28pm GMT Fri 29th Dec 2006

Tom Brake MP for Carshalton and Wallington is backing a Charity Commission campaign to warn residents to beware of bogus Charity collectors seeking unwanted clothes and Christmas presents in the days immediately after Christmas.

He said, "Over Christmas and the New Year everyone feels particularly generous. But don't let your generosity be abused by bogus charity collectors. By all means give away unwanted presents and other articles but do make sure you are giving them to a real charity."

Tom Brake added, "If you are really uncertain about whether the charity collection is for real, you could always drop any quality items into one of the charity shops in Wallington or Carshalton."

Residents who receive leaflets requesting items should check the following before giving away any articles;

Does the leaflet say the collection is for a registered charity? If so, call 08453000218 to check if the charity is real or look at the website www.charitycommission.gov.uk

Does it have a registered company number? If so, it means the organisation is registered as a business not a charity.

Make sure the charity has a name on the leaflet rather than wording like 'for poor families in Eastern Europe'.

Does the leaflet give an address and landline? A mobile phone number or no number can be a sign that the organisation does not want to answer any questions!