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Mick · 01-09-2008, 09:22

Got yet another of those leaflets through the door this morning from a Company Calling itself Help (uk).
Wanting clothes and toys and shoes.
we seam to get 3 or 4 of these a week
They give 2 mobile numbers, (no landlines), then at the bottom they have registered No. 06566494.
I checked this number at the Charities Commision,
Charity Commission Homepage
Their result came back,
Extract from the Central Register of Charities maintained by the Charity Commission for England and Wales
No Charity Found For "06566494"
I then checked Companies House
WebCHeck - Select and Access Company Information
and found,
Name & Registered Office:
H-E-L-P (UK) LTD
59 GLAPTON ROAD
MEADOWS
NOTTINGHAM
UNITED KINGDOM
NG2 2FF
Company No. 06566494

Status: Active
Date of Incorporation: 15/04/2008
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Company Type: Private Limited Company
Nature of Business (SIC(03)):
None Supplied
On checking with The Guardian online I found this reference,
Campaign leads to clampdown on rogue collectors | Money | The Guardian
The essential part of which is the guide near the bottom,
How to spot dodgy dealers
· A company registration number is a dead giveaway.
· No legitimate charity would give a mobile phone number.
· Do they use weasel phrases such as "help to create employment"?
· Are they on the Charity Commission register (charitycommission.gov.uk)?
Which makes it seem that they don't deserve your charity give your clothes to a charity shop at least you know they are genuine.
Here's some more advice from The Office Of Fair Trading,
Consumer Direct - Bogus charity collections

This is the whole article from the Guardian

Rogue clothing dealers posing as charities have been dealt a double blow this week with a tough clampdown by government agencies against the £3m-plus rip-off.

In August, Guardian Money started a campaign to drive the bogus collectors off the streets. We revealed how difficult-to-track commercial firms pushed leaflets through letterboxes asking for donations of used clothing while claiming to be good causes.

"Guardian Money's coverage has made a tremendous contribution to raising awareness," says David Moir of the Association of Charity Shops which speaks for 270 charities with 7,000 shops. And the Charity Commission said Guardian Money can take some of the credit for highlighting the problem."

The dodgy garment gatherers may use names such as Angel of Goodness or Island of Hope, with pictures of "orphans" or "street children", but they are out for profit, as well as denying charities goods they could sell - they lose at least £3m a year as a result.

The first initiative is an awareness drive involving charities, trading standards and Consumer Direct to help check if a collection is legitimate (see below for tips). And in a second move, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued legal guidance to say items left for a charity become the charity's property as soon as they are put into its bag, provided it is clearly marked. "This was a grey area in law and it has been difficult to get a successful theft prosecution. The charities we work with all use clearly branded bags, so there can be no mistaking who they are meant for. This will prove a major blow to the illegal second-hand clothes trade," says Michael Lomotey, head of campaigns for Clothes Aid, which collects for various UK charities. "This is not just one or two dodgy guys, it is organised crime gangs who make a fortune, often at the expense of the underprivileged."

How to spot dodgy dealers

· A company registration number is a dead giveaway.

· No legitimate charity would give a mobile phone number.

· Do they use weasel phrases such as "help to create employment"?

· Are they on the Charity Commission register

Maybe it's time we all started checking what comes through our door and reporting the rogues?

01-09-2008, 09:22	#1
Mick Resting in Peace Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Accrington Posts: 12,472 Blog Entries: 46 Liked: 428 times Rep Power: 102654	clothes collections Got yet another of those leaflets through the door this morning from a Company Calling itself Help (uk). Wanting clothes and toys and shoes. we seam to get 3 or 4 of these a week They give 2 mobile numbers, (no landlines), then at the bottom they have registered No. 06566494. I checked this number at the Charities Commision, Charity Commission Homepage Their result came back, Extract from the Central Register of Charities maintained by the Charity Commission for England and Wales No Charity Found For "06566494" I then checked Companies House WebCHeck - Select and Access Company Information and found, Name & Registered Office: H-E-L-P (UK) LTD 59 GLAPTON ROAD MEADOWS NOTTINGHAM UNITED KINGDOM NG2 2FF Company No. 06566494 Status: Active Date of Incorporation: 15/04/2008 Country of Origin: United Kingdom Company Type: Private Limited Company Nature of Business (SIC(03)): None Supplied On checking with The Guardian online I found this reference, Campaign leads to clampdown on rogue collectors \| Money \| The Guardian The essential part of which is the guide near the bottom, How to spot dodgy dealers · A company registration number is a dead giveaway. · No legitimate charity would give a mobile phone number. · Do they use weasel phrases such as "help to create employment"? · Are they on the Charity Commission register (charitycommission.gov.uk)? Which makes it seem that they don't deserve your charity give your clothes to a charity shop at least you know they are genuine. Here's some more advice from The Office Of Fair Trading, Consumer Direct - Bogus charity collections This is the whole article from the Guardian Rogue clothing dealers posing as charities have been dealt a double blow this week with a tough clampdown by government agencies against the £3m-plus rip-off. In August, Guardian Money started a campaign to drive the bogus collectors off the streets. We revealed how difficult-to-track commercial firms pushed leaflets through letterboxes asking for donations of used clothing while claiming to be good causes. "Guardian Money's coverage has made a tremendous contribution to raising awareness," says David Moir of the Association of Charity Shops which speaks for 270 charities with 7,000 shops. And the Charity Commission said Guardian Money can take some of the credit for highlighting the problem." The dodgy garment gatherers may use names such as Angel of Goodness or Island of Hope, with pictures of "orphans" or "street children", but they are out for profit, as well as denying charities goods they could sell - they lose at least £3m a year as a result. The first initiative is an awareness drive involving charities, trading standards and Consumer Direct to help check if a collection is legitimate (see below for tips). And in a second move, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued legal guidance to say items left for a charity become the charity's property as soon as they are put into its bag, provided it is clearly marked. "This was a grey area in law and it has been difficult to get a successful theft prosecution. The charities we work with all use clearly branded bags, so there can be no mistaking who they are meant for. This will prove a major blow to the illegal second-hand clothes trade," says Michael Lomotey, head of campaigns for Clothes Aid, which collects for various UK charities. "This is not just one or two dodgy guys, it is organised crime gangs who make a fortune, often at the expense of the underprivileged." How to spot dodgy dealers · A company registration number is a dead giveaway. · No legitimate charity would give a mobile phone number. · Do they use weasel phrases such as "help to create employment"? · Are they on the Charity Commission register Maybe it's time we all started checking what comes through our door and reporting the rogues? Last edited by Mick; 01-09-2008 at 09:50.