Charities warn of 'bogus' collectors

Irish charities have warned householders against door-to-door clothing collectors who do not have a registered charity number and may be selling on the items which they collect.

Oxfam Ireland said donations to its shops have fallen by 25 per cent over the past 12 to 18 months because of the proliferation of "bogus charities" posting flyers through letter boxes.

The flyers state that donations are being used to help the poor in Third World and underdeveloped countries. However, the majority of the organisations involved are not registered as charities and have been identified by legitimate charity organisations as commercial enterprises, according to Oxfam Ireland.

"We are getting less and less stock into our shops because there are more and more commercial operators collecting door to door, giving the impression that they are charities when they are not," Trevor Anderson, retail manager with Oxfam Ireland, said.

The Irish Charity Shops' Association, of which Mr Anderson is chairman, is calling on the Government to ensure door-to-door collections are regulated under the promised charities legislation.

However in the absence of legislation, Oxfam, which has previously only accepted donations at its shops, will launch its own household collection campaign over the next two months.

"Legitimate charities collecting door to door may be the only way to beat the commercial collectors while there is no legislation, but we will also be making people aware that some of these collectors are not legitimate," Mr Anderson said.

The Society of St Vincent de Paul said it has not noticed a marked decline in donations but is aware of a decline in the standard of goods received and says people should ensure they can identify the charity to which they are donating.

The Irish Cancer Society said householders can check an organisation's charity status by looking for their charity number which begins with a "CH" and checking with the Revenue Commissioners that it is a genuine number.

Dublin City Council said anyone collecting unwanted items from householders must have a collection permit from the council, which they are legally obliged to carry.