8:40am Tuesday 24th November 2009
ADVICE is being issued to Evesham and Pershore residents to help stop them from falling victim to charity bag scams.
According to Worcestershire County Council’s Trading Standards team, the majority of charity leaflets and collection bags delivered in the area are genuine.
But the team has united several organisations to issue tips on how to spot a scam.
The advice includes checking whether the sack or leaflet says the collection is for a registered charity, if the registered company or charity number is genuine, whether or not the charity is named and if contact details are included.
Councillor Derek Prodger MBE, responsible for transport and safe environment, said: “Giving generously to charities is a fantastic way of helping people and the overwhelming majority of leaflets asking for clothes donations come from legitimate charities.
“Unfortunately, there are a minority who take advantage of people's goodwill gestures to line their own pockets. Christmas is a really important time for fund-raising and I'd like to encourage everyone to use the advice on offer to make sure their donations go to the people who need it most.”
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