Charity bags scam
Submitted by Ermintrude on 2.46pm Fri 30th Jul 2010
Today another "charity bag" has been delivered. The organisation claims to support the air ambulance service, but if you look up Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance there is a warning on their website that this is a scam.
Bogus Air Ambulance Collection?
Thanks for your warning Ermintrude. I had one of these leaflets and assumed it was for the Dorset Air Ambulance but now I've looked at the site mentioned on the leaflet http://airambulanceservice.org.uk/ and it doesn't mention Dorset. It does tell you how to get a membership card (benefits unspecified!) by phoning a premium rate number or sending a text (cost £5!) Don't do it!
I Googled "Dorset Air Ambulance" and got the real site http://www.dorsetandsomersetairambulance.org.uk/ which does warn people against this misleading collection:
"The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charity (DSAA) is warning residents not to be confused by a commercial company which has been carrying out doorstep collections of clothing, jewellery, toys, and other items".
So if you were considering giving them your unwanted stuff to sell, please add a comment here, give your stuff to a real charity instead and consider sending a donation to "Dorset Air Ambulance".
Misdirected Charity
I also found this: Misplaced generosity item on the same subject in the Echo site.
Burglar alert - there's no-one in!
Like everyone else, I've been receiving lots of plastic charity bags, some of which look quite dubious, like the pink one emblazoned with a looped pink ribbon and looking very much as if it comes from the British Breast Cancer charity. It's not until you read the very small print, that it says that it's a charity to help women in Lithuania.
Now I'm not against helping women in Lithuania, but I think it should be stated much more clearly on the bag rather than let people think they're supporting a British charity so that they can have a choice.
That's not the only problem I have with charity bags. My other problem is the laziness with which they're delivered. Many of them are left sticking out of the letterbox, clearly telling everyone that there's no one in.
I arrived home from work the other day to find one sticking out of my letterbox, announcing to all the world that there was no-one at home and it was ok to burgle my house.
It wasn't until the next morning that I noticed the house a few doors down where the people are on holiday. Their bag was firmly jammed only half way into the letterbox. So I removed it, as I hope my neighbours would do for me if lazy delivering compromised my security when I was out or away.
Does it happen to you as well?
Terrific draught
I don't have a problem with people collecting for people in need elsewhere, as long as the collectors are honest about who they're collecting for and whether it's a charity or a commercial collection pretending to be a charity.
I have got annoyed about people lazily posting free papers half-way through the door and not taking that extra second to finish the job. My complaint was about cold draughts in winter though, I hadn't though of burglers.