# News of the World investigates donated clothes "charity racket"

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/09/26/news-world-investigates-donated-clothes-quotcharity-racketquot/
- Published: 2010-09-26T14:33:31+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/www.newsoftheworld.co_.uk_.jpg)

The News of the World today features an investigation into “rat-bag collecting 
firms [that] are lining their own pockets at the expense of big-name charities, 
the vulnerable – and caring families who donate their old gear”.

In [You rat bags](http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/994104/Charity-bag-collectors-steal-clothes-donations.html)
reporters Daniel Jones and Lee Sorrell say that they filmed collectors licensed 
to collect by some charities taking clothes left for completely different charities.
These were then taken, they say, to the licensed company, that is sub-contracted
to collect clothes for RNLI and Kidney Research UK, for transfer out of the charity
bags into plain black bin bags for sale by the company for its own profit.

The newspaper said that “charities hit by the scam include Help the Aged, the NSPCC
and the British Heart Foundation”. It named two Lithuanian men it had spoken to 
as involved in the operation.

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Both [Kidney Research UK](http://www.kidneyresearchuk.org/news/kidney-research-news-articles.php?id=1122)
and the RNLI said that they would investigate the allegations and co-operate in 
any police investigation.

The Institute of Fundraising said that it was important to expose and eliminate 
bad practice. However, it wished to stress that “such cases are the exception rather
than the rule and that the majority of charity clothing collections are legitimate
and adhere to best practice”.

Louise Richards, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the Institute of Fundraising,
said: “The Institute is constantly working to raise the standard of best practice
in the charity sector. A revised version of the House-to-House Collections Code 
of Practice is about to go out to public consultation. The Code contains a new section
on goods collections and is intended to highlight best practice standards for the
charity sector in this area.”

www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/994104/Charity-bag-collectors-steal-clothes-donations.
html

 * **[Free charity legislation handbook from independent accountants and lawyers](https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/11/01/free-charity-legislation-handbook-independent-accountants-and-lawyers/)**(
   1 November 2010)
 * **[Fraud costs charity sector £1.3 billion, says National Fraud Authority](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/01/27/fraud-costs-charity-sector-13-billion-says-national-fraud-authority/)**(
   27 January 2011)
 * **[Code of practice for Irish charities launched](https://fundraising.co.uk/2011/03/15/code-practice-irish-charities-launched/)**(
   15 March 2011)