‘Sparks’, the children’s medical research charity, has received several calls from Leicestershire residents enquiring as to whether the collections are genuine, and has passed the details to Leicestershire Trading Standards.
David Bull, Head of Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards, said:
“This is clearly someone dishonestly trying to make money for themselves by using the name of a respected charity. “We would urge people who receive a bag not to fill it and leave it out and to contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06, who will make Trading Standards aware.”
Sparks have confirmed that they do not collect clothing in this manner, so any bag bearing their name and logo is bogus.
Suzi Browne, of Sparks, said: “This is very sad for us as a charity. The bags look very convincing, and bear our charity registration details and a telephone number to call if the bag is not collected.
“However, this number is never answered and it certainly isn’t ours. This amounts to someone stealing our good name for dishonest reasons and exploiting the generosity of Leicestershire residents.
“We are a relatively small charity and very much in need of local support so we would urge anyone wanting to help to get in touch with us directly.”
For more on Leicestershire Trading Standards visit: www.leics.gov.uk/tradingstandards
