14 replies to this topic

[Amy]

I get these flyers through the door almost every day, and usually just ignore them as I take my stuff directly to our local charity shop. But this morning one caught my eye. Apart from the fact it came through the door in darkness at 6am, they were asking for all sorts of weird stuff, not just clothes...

Underwear, toiletries, perfumes, cosmetics, toys, handbags etc.... They claim to be sending these things directly to the third world, so I was struggling to see how make up/perfume would be at all helpful to people starving and without clothes or money etc!!!!

I typed the 'registered company' number into the charity listing website- no company found...

Did a search on the net, to find hundreds of pages about this guy collecting and selling on for his own financial gain... all over the country!! The fraud squad and trading standards are already invovled. So I rang my local council, just to let them know he's operating in our area now....

Had to leave all my details, as they may want me to be invovled in a sting operation to try and catch the team of people in the act.......


Just watch out for any collections, using the name 'Help and Support Ltd' with the number: 05834199 at the bottom of the leaflet....

[Ethel]

It may well not be fraud.

A registered company and a registered charity are two different things. He may not mind if you confuse one for the other but it's not untruthful. He may even sell on what he can't shift at car boot sales to companies who ship containers full of 2nd hand clothing to Africa and other places, I'd guess he doesn't claim everything donated goes to the third world and he'd argue the money he pockets are fair expenses - not totally unreasonable, registered charities pay their staff wages.

You are doing the right thing by taking your gear to a shop that's run by a charity you want to support. Selling your stuff in the UK maximises its value and they too will sell on unsalable clothing that goes for export. You can also look at registered charities accounts on the Charity Commission Website to see how well they use your donations.

[Amy]

I know that registered companies and registered charities are different, which is why I looked up the numbers in the first place.

I don't think Trading Standards and the Fraud squad would be taking it seriously if they weren't at all concerned by his activites!
I've just had another phone call from Trading standards asking if I saw who delivered the flyer this morning!!

To state that profits and items are going directly to third world countries, and then keeping the profits for yourself is fraud! They must already have proof of this to put his name and details all over the internet.

Makes me sick..... at the bottom of this flyer it says in huge letters:

"God will reward you in heaven for your good hearts"

[Jammy]

"God will reward you in heaven for your good hearts"

What willl Allah give me?!

[Ethel]

"God will reward you in heaven for your good hearts"

What willl Allah give me?!

Same geezer just different branding - like Dixons 'n Currys

[Juju]

To state that profits and items are going directly to third world countries, and then keeping the profits for yourself is fraud! They must already have proof of this to put his name and details all over the internet.

Makes me sick..... at the bottom of this flyer it says in huge letters:

"God will reward you in heaven for your good hearts"

We've had loads of these through our front door too. The local police & Council issued a warning about these scammers last year, but it hasn't stopped them sticking their notes through our letterbox. It's quite widespread now....
Nasty peeps. Me no like them. >

[Amy]

Nasty peeps. Me no like them. >

Me neither Juju!

I kinda wish I'd thrown it away just like all the others, but something about this one just stood out... turns out I was right.

Anyway, I've told Trading standards I don't want to get involved, all I did was report a suspicious collection in the area. They'll have a flyer of their own (once I've taken it to the council offices today) and can organise their own operation to get them, without me!!

[Bungle]

"God will reward you in heaven for your good hearts"

What willl Allah give me?!

Same geezer just different branding - like Dixons 'n Currys

LOL

[minivanman]

Underwear, toiletries, perfumes, cosmetics, toys, handbags etc....

Are you sure it wasn't just Jammy trying to get some ladies clothing for his dressing up games?

[1984mini25]

Underwear, toiletries, perfumes, cosmetics, toys, handbags etc....

Are you sure it wasn't just Jammy trying to get some ladies clothing for his dressing up games?

If it were jammy though wouldn’t he be asking for socks as well?

[The Matt]

"God will reward you in heaven for your good hearts"

What willl Allah give me?!

And what will Harry Potter give? Come to that matter, what will any fictional character give?

Aaaaaaanyway, I'm always cautious of these things, I mean, people really wouldn't want my old clothes, they're all, well, soiled!

Thanks for the heads up Amy!

[Pie]

See they should do a james bond kinda thing and lay a tracking device on a toy, that way they can follow him

[Amy]

I've washed my hands of it now.... took the flyer into my local council offices as requested, I was there flippin ages, then they asked me to go to the police about it!!

I told them I was a bit peeved, as all I did was ring to report my suspicions, if they (the council) were at all concerned it is now up to them to sort out... not me!! They could easily stick a poster up in their window or circulate their own flyers if they wanted to... Trying to get me to waste my time on it just takes the P!


I don't think I'll bother trying to be a good citizen again

[sparkymini]

i did the same with the ones i was getting through the door, and contacted trading standards, but the problem is they just start up again. We contacted the local free paper and they put a warning in there instead.

The way these people run is sickening they're a profit making business, nothing else and it stops people making donations to registered charities. So basically if its not got a charity number, its a scam!

[CooperTrooper]

I know that registered companies and registered charities are different, which is why I looked up the numbers in the first place.

I don't think Trading Standards and the Fraud squad would be taking it seriously if they weren't at all concerned by his activites!
I've just had another phone call from Trading standards asking if I saw who delivered the flyer this morning!!

To state that profits and items are going directly to third world countries, and then keeping the profits for yourself is fraud! They must already have proof of this to put his name and details all over the internet.

Makes me sick..... at the bottom of this flyer it says in huge letters:

"God will reward you in heaven for your good hearts"

There is stuff on the INET about these fraudsters..

We put some plastic bags and old newspapers and wine bottles and stuff into the green bag and when they came to collect the bag we were gonna jump them, get the reg number of the van and take them to the coppers den around the corner. Unfortunatley, they never came and we never got to stick em.

Edited by CooperTrooper, 31 October 2007 - 12:24 PM.