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Some charities had a drop of 25% in donations Black Salmon via Shutterstock

Opinion Bogus clothes collecting denying legitimate charities access to much needed funds

Double check if in doubt when approached for clothing donations to ensure those in need benefit.

BOGUS COLLECTORS USING ‘door-to-door’ collections and clothing banks are commonplace across the country.

As well as being illegal, it is unethical, as there is no transparency in terms of where donations or the proceeds from them actually end up. Last year, the Irish Charities Regulator received 431 reports of bogus collections and issued new guidance on the issue.

It is difficult to quantify the cost to legitimate charities but in the past some have seen a drop of 25% in donations at specific periods. In the UK in 2011 the British Heart Foundation estimated that its losses from theft of charity shop donations and bogus collections almost tripled from £1.2m in 2010 to £3m.

Another UK organisation, Clothes Aid, said ‘bogus operators’ could be costing its 12 charity partners more than £1.1m a year in lost income.

  • Read more here on how you can support a Noteworthy investigation into bogus ‘charity’ clothes collectors are doing with your cast-offs. 

Not only do bogus collectors deflect income from legitimate charities and consequently those who depend on their support, but there can also be damage to the sector’s reputation.

There are essentially three areas of concern around bogus collections. The first is outright fraud where fake charities adopt the names of real charities.

There is also misleading literature that gives the impression that there is a charitable beneficiary, when that is not in fact the case. Finally, there is the actual theft of bags of clothing left out for legitimate charities to collect.

If in doubt, check it out

Potential donors are reminded to look out for the charity name, logo and registered charity number and contact details.

The Irish Charities Regulator liaises with An Garda Síochána in respect of these matters on an ongoing basis and advises anyone who suspects a charity is not legitimate to contact the gardaí.

You can also search for the name of a charity on the regulator’s website here.

Legitimate charities that rely on donations, such as the Society of St Vincent De Paul (SVP), enjoy great support from across the country through charity shops and clothing banks. In fact, SVP sort over 14,000 tonnes of donated goods annually. 

SVP also collects donations from churches, shopping centres, corporate donors and house clearances.

Very occasionally it will do door-to-door collections, but home owners will receive several days prior notice and all literature will clearly show charity’s name, logo and registered charity number.

One tip is that details of any local collections will be well sign posted in advance on the SVP website or social media, and this is often the case for other legitimate charities also.

St Vincent de Paul shop SVP sort over 14,000 tonnes of donated goods annually SVP SVP

Benefits of double checking 

By making sure you are donating to legitimate charities, it ensures the income from your donations are directed back into the local community to provide assistance to those in need.

In our case, the income from SVP shops is used to help support those who are struggling and seek its help. At the moment that is about 500 people a day. 

Our shops are a hugely important aspect of the service provided by the Society of St Vincent de Paul for those who seek its assistance. Many people who use SVP shops depend on them for providing basic needs.

The shops are also managed by a small number of full-time staff supported by volunteers and Community Employment (CE) workers.

In addition, your donations are vital for those on limited budgets who are unable to afford mainstream retail prices or shop online as it allows items to be available at an affordable price in local retail such as in SVP’s network of 230 charity shops.

Clothes can now also be purchased from SVP’s eBay store or from Thriftify, with other legitimate charities also increasingly using these platforms.

So, donations made to the shops are used to fight the twin problems of poverty and deprivation, on one hand and the excessive consumption of fashion on the other.

Encouraging sustainability

Anyone concerned with sustainability should also be wary of the bogus clothes collectors as there is no way of knowing where they sell the donations or indeed how much is dumped in landfill.

At Vincent’s Retail, we are very conscious of our own carbon footprint and want to get to the point where everything we do is carbon neutral.

Sustainability is becoming more and more important for the savvy shopper of today who wants more than just soundbites or promises from the retail sector.

We spare no effort in trying to reuse the pre-loved items that have been donated to us.

SVP are committed to minimising waste and donated garments as they go through a ‘double filter’ system where they are checked at local shop level and again at the local Order Fulfilment Centre to ensure that all possible value is extracted. This process keeps pre-loved garments out of landfill. 

Any item that has still not been sold will be sent on to one of our national recycling partners who, in turn, will reuse, recycle, or export surplus garments. We do not put any textiles into landfill and are committed to extending the life and use of every ‘fit for purpose’ donation.

Finally, the best piece of advice we can offer to householders approached for clothing donations and who may be worried about the legitimacy of the collectors is: If in doubt, check it out!

Dermot McGilloway is National Retail Development Manager at the Society of St Vincent de Paul. 

SHIRT OFF YOUR BACK Investigation 

Pile of discarded clothes with window and door in the background

Do you want to know what bogus ‘charity’ clothes collectors are doing with your cast-offs?

The Noteworthy team want investigate the impact that scams are having on genuine charities, who is running fake charity collections and whether sufficient action is being taken to tackle fraudsters.

Here’s how to help support this proposal>

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37 Comments
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    Mute Denis K
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    Jun 19th 2021, 6:35 PM

    I think the Vincents shops are a private commercial company who make a significant profit and only give a small share to SVP. I stand to be corrected but it seems to be a bit rich giving out about bogus.

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    Mute Chin Feeyin
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    Jun 19th 2021, 6:43 PM

    @Denis K: Wrong.

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    Mute Teddy Bear
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    Jun 19th 2021, 6:58 PM

    @Denis K: one thing I do know is the staff in svp stores have daily sales targets to reach.

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    Mute bmul
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    Jun 19th 2021, 7:23 PM

    @Teddy Bear: charity shop in my town don’t want any donations at the moment

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    Mute Stephen Mrbee Barton
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    Jun 19th 2021, 7:55 PM

    @bmul: charity shops are becoming very picky about what they accept. I have had numerous bags of stuff refused, they only want the good stuff, and are checking out prices online. they also want top dollar for the stuff they sell. Usually unwilling or put out if you try to bargain them down on the price. One of our local charity shops actually had the cheek to put a sign up on the cashiers desk saying, please don’t ask for discounts as refusal often offends.

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    Mute Maria Quinn
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:49 PM

    @Denis K: what I know the charities got forced labour from the Dole, TÚS aka Gate Away. It isn’t Community Employment, the charities are paid a good money for holding a person for one year, 12 months, without any obligation of training and development like the CEs. The person cannot quit the “job” because won’t be able to sign again for the Dole. For this reason is forced labour the person has not way out if there’s any kind of abuse in the workplace

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:51 PM

    @Stephen Mrbee Barton: That’s a shame as I relied on them. While I was a student, I never bought new clothes and certainly when I asked them discreetly they would reduce the price by the amount of a bus fare. Maybe it depends on how often you do it?

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:55 PM

    @bmul: I bet they accept money all right.

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    Mute Daithi De Roiste
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    Jun 19th 2021, 7:08 PM

    A lot of these bags that come in our door look legit, however 90% of these charity’s are not registered in Ireland. These clothes are collected and sold off in others countries ( 1 big one particular) and a substantial profit is made from this for these gangs. These clothes could otherwise be given to struggling families in Ireland along with the homeless. So please instead of giving some gang free money please take time to verify the charity and help those in need. At the end of the days these people are stealing from the poor and there is nothing lower than that.

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    Mute Tom McDonnell
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:00 PM

    @Daithi De Roiste: which 1 in particular is not legit?

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Jun 20th 2021, 1:25 AM

    @Daithi De Roiste: most of these scam artists go to cash for clothes with the rags and sell the good items on adverts and such pretending that they are for charity. Also though I’ve noticed a hugh increase in the price of clothing in charity shop lately.

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Jun 19th 2021, 7:12 PM

    This has been going on for years. Why is it only being highlighted now. Look closely at the contact phone number on the bag that comes in your door and its usually a mobile number and also a made up website.

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    Mute Quentin Moriarty
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    Jun 19th 2021, 7:40 PM

    @Mary Paget: 12 years ago kids were used to raid clothes drop off bins so this is nothing new

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    Mute Mary Paget
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    Jun 19th 2021, 8:26 PM

    @Quentin Moriarty: I know. Its ridiculous. The people robbing the clothes from the bins used to put little kids in the hatch to pass the clothes out. Mother of God. It was scandalous.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jun 19th 2021, 6:56 PM

    Ah yes, that plastic bag that comes in the door every now and then from the “Irish” charity with the 4 leafed shamrock logo on the front.

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    Mute Rob
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    Jun 20th 2021, 12:33 AM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: They all go straight in the bin, I put mine in the recycling bins managed by different charities.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 20th 2021, 3:40 PM

    @Rob: Turn them inside out & use them as bin-liners.

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    Mute Type17
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    Jun 19th 2021, 7:11 PM

    A few years ago, I looked up the CRO number that one crowd put on their sticker to try and look legitimate – it was the CRO number of an IT company that had been wound up a decade ago…

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:54 PM

    @Type17: It’s well worth a quick Google. I found a similar fake company number on a bag put through the door at 1 am. They were only looking for an excuse to try the front door. If they got a few bags of clothes the next day it was a bonus.

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    Mute Ed Dunne
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    Jun 19th 2021, 8:25 PM

    Every Saturday morning…our estate in Tullamore is blanketed with these leaflets…same fella…been told not to come back enough times….just stands there sneering wearing a jacket someone donated in good faith…he boils my blood tbh…caught him trying neighbours side gates…only English I think he understood so far was the word “Gardai”…by the time they showed up theyd all vanished in the van….every single saturday morning!!!!!

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    Mute OConnelj
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    Jun 19th 2021, 7:46 PM

    Finish off the article. How many convictions in the last 12 months?

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    Mute Contrary Mary
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    Jun 20th 2021, 11:33 AM

    @OConnelj: well said.

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    Mute Michael Drennan
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    Jun 19th 2021, 8:50 PM

    Can someone explain to me why it is illegal to collect clothes door to door ? Surely the main thing is that the clothes are being recycled and it is very convenient. If some enterprising company collected glass and cans door to door then they could have my business too. BTW I don’t think the poor in Ireland are wearing second hand clothes, from what I see in Dublin they are all in designer labels and Pennys is cheaper than the charity shops anyway.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 19th 2021, 10:00 PM

    @Michael Drennan: It’s not illegal, if that’s all they take on the day and you’re handing it to them willingly. I’m all for recycling.
    It’s the chancers in vans that tend to try the doors late at night and early in the morning – according to the Gardaí, some are not simply dropping off donation bags and leaving it at that.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 20th 2021, 3:42 PM

    Sorry, I meant the only illegal part is that they’re pretending to do it for a registered charity, but there’s no such charity, they only make up a name & get it printed with a fake number.

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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:37 PM

    The recycled clothing business has existed for a hundred years as a commercial enterprise, a few decades ago charities saw this as something they could tap into and leverage against people’s generosity as a revenue stream for their “cause”.

    People falsely collecting as a bogus charity is illegal because it is fraud, not because collecting clothing to recycle is illegal, but fraud isn’t limited to them.

    The last decade has revealed instances in Ireland, where so called legitimate charities were found to be little more than personal slush funds for organisers, either through directly skimming cash or funding their lifestyles from credit cards and bank accounts.

    The recycled clothing business is not a monopoly for charities, even though they seem to have adopted that view.

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    Mute Cat Reid
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    Jun 19th 2021, 8:47 PM

    Always something with charities..

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    Mute Serge the llama
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:15 PM

    I was waiting months for a sticker through the door, with 3 bin bags of clothes ready to go. I gave to the first one, because I needed the space, I knew it was dodge so added a few items I wanted rid of like old duvets. Ended up leaving out 6/7 bin bags. Had a great clear out.

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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:45 PM

    @Serge the llama: That’s a good idea. If I throw in the smelly old running tees, the grey Bridget Jones pants and the odd socks, they probably won’t come back with any luck.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 19th 2021, 10:04 PM

    @Liz O’Neill: I stuffed a cushion with odd socks the other day. I don’t know how I had so many, must be the extra walking, but it’s one way to use them up.

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    Mute OConnelj
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    Jun 20th 2021, 7:15 AM

    @Serge the llama: so where do you think the stuff that they don’t want ends up?

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    Mute Mary Nugent
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    Jun 20th 2021, 2:31 AM

    I use them for the black bin.

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    Mute Ally Mc Culladgh
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:25 PM

    Let’s be honest here, we all know these sticker leaflets are bogus but we turn a blind eye to it because it’s a lazy way to get rid of clutter, especially during the Celtic Tiger era.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 19th 2021, 10:07 PM

    @Ally Mc Culladgh: In fairness, the fake bags save on buying bin liners if nothing else.

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    Mute Maria Quinn
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    Jun 19th 2021, 9:34 PM

    So now charities do not want people make a living with the waste of others?
    There are many charities and religious organizations where the donations go to the banks for emergencies, first response of Humanitarian Disaster. They also have special banks for special needs such as local poor or single parent returning to full-time work but can’t afford work clothes.

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    Mute Katie Wrest
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    Jun 20th 2021, 8:01 PM

    Not much in the line of bargains on their ebay site lol!!!

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    Mute Matt
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    Jun 20th 2021, 1:32 PM

    I give my clothes to Caring And Sharing Association and National Council Blind Ireland. What happens after that i dont know but both are great charities.

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