A Bit of a Scam
Do you get plastic bags coming through your door that you can put clothes etc in? The charity that gave you the bag then calls a few days later to collect your old clothes.
All very well - - - but some of them aren't what they seem, and I think this one, which came through our door the other day, is one of them.
For a start, I've never heard of the Little Treasures Children's Trust - - but it does have a charity number, and it could be genuine - -
But if we look at the back - -
Two things alert my nasty suspicious mind:
"ELT will be operating collection service and will be delighted to collect these items from you"
and
"In excess of £2000 each month will be donated to the Little Treasures Children's Trust Charity."
Now then - - I take that to mean that ELT - whoever they are, because it doesn't tell us - will do all the collections, flog the clothes and - hopefully - give £2000 and one penny to this charity - - and then keep any profit over that amount.
I have seen similar bags offering to help the Third World by such means and if you read the small print, again it says it will help the Third World by giving the people work sorting the clothes.
You may not mind. You may just want someone to take your old clothes away to save you the trouble, and you may not care if they make a profit out of it.
But if that's the case, I think we should be told.
All very well - - - but some of them aren't what they seem, and I think this one, which came through our door the other day, is one of them.
For a start, I've never heard of the Little Treasures Children's Trust - - but it does have a charity number, and it could be genuine - -But if we look at the back - -
Two things alert my nasty suspicious mind:"ELT will be operating collection service and will be delighted to collect these items from you"
and
"In excess of £2000 each month will be donated to the Little Treasures Children's Trust Charity."
Now then - - I take that to mean that ELT - whoever they are, because it doesn't tell us - will do all the collections, flog the clothes and - hopefully - give £2000 and one penny to this charity - - and then keep any profit over that amount.
I have seen similar bags offering to help the Third World by such means and if you read the small print, again it says it will help the Third World by giving the people work sorting the clothes.
You may not mind. You may just want someone to take your old clothes away to save you the trouble, and you may not care if they make a profit out of it.
But if that's the case, I think we should be told.
posted by Daphne at 4:29 pm
92 Comments:
I agree with all of that.
Around here I have heard of these bogus collectors coming round on days of OTHER collections and making off with their bags of goodies.
So even if you put out stuff for say
'Help the Aged' (me)! Some thieving ******* may come round and nick it!
"Developing world" rather than 3rd world, surely?
We have about a bag a week through our door, but I don't fill any of them for the reasons you have stated
Daphne - I share your suspicions about these so-called charities. If what we suspect is true then it is a most unpleasant and utterly reprehensible form of exploitation - appealing to people's natural charitable instincts while paying lip service to the charitable causes they purport to finance.
Although registered on the Charity Commission website, the Little Treasures Children's Trust does not appear to donate much of its income to children, judging by the accounts for the period ending 31 January 2008. Of the £108,942 incoming resources only £1,951 seems to have been donated to children. The rest went on salaries and other expenses. Draw your own conclusions.
Thank you, Anonymous, for your statistics which back up my thoughts about the whole thing. And, everyone else, thank you for your comments, too. Marcus - - the bag did say "Third World" - I was quoting and should have made it clear.
The British Heart Foundation is the only genuine charity bag amongst a great many bags from deceiving collecting companies who pay a tiny percentage to be able to quote a charity's name.
ELT is East London Textiles, I discovered from Google. If you go to their website, the misspellings and bad grammer will imediately put you off, starting with their mission statement to save the "plannet"!
JEM
Mrs McKenzie - thank you! Good to know and it confirms all my suspicions!
I agree with that. Also the accountants are registered at the same address, the Trustees all have the same surname, and the 2009 accounts, to update "Anonymous's" post, show income of £224K and MAX expenditure on children of £26K.
I'm going to complain to the Charity Commission.
Stephen
I don't think you have read those accounts properly. They do support work, outreach and advocacy they have given over £150,000 to meet there purpose. This charity has supported my family many times over the last two years. I dont know where me or my son would be without them. They helped me to have get things done that i have been asking the council for over 7 years now thanks to little treasures my sons life at home will be so much better. The bathroom has been adaped and hoists put in, my son now receives the physio he should and transport. The ladys there have been a rock to me. Isn't that a better way to spend charity money than holidays which last a week and then we are back to all our problems. They have changed mine and lewis lifes forever.
Thank you for the warning. I am glad I checked. I will warn all my neighbours and from now on, I wll check all the charities that post bags through my door.
glad i checked i have 3 charity bags to choose from threw my door, well now i know none of them will get my babys clothes, i want them to go to good use as many are new still with price tags on, i will donate them to my own countrys charity as we have many people in need +charity begins at home
Curiousity got the better of me on this so called charity... I think you shoudl be aware that their accounts are here... http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/registeredcharities/ScannedAccounts/Ends24%5C0001119024_ac_20080131_e_c.pdf
Their accountancy bill was over £3000 and was paid to an accountant based on 337 High Road illford... guess where the charity registered office is ... erm the same address --- here it is ... http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=138%20South%20Street&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
Their company accounts state they spend several hundred pound on travel (£900) - what I am curious about is who pays for the fairly new transit van I saw picking up stuff and the petrol to get from Essex to Norfolk as £900 won't go very far... I could go on and on - my advice would be leave your stuff at your local charity shop where a reputable charity might benefit...
Oh I forgot to say that the principal address appears to be the Romford Cafe...
http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/directory/1150/87610.php
Thank you all for your thoughts and researches. i received one through the door today, was suspicious, googled them, and here I am. offering to collect perfumes and cosmetics was one of the things that alerted me. best wishes, jennifer
The charity's website appears to be littletreasureschildrenstrust.co.uk. Strange that it is a CO.UK and not an ORG.UK, and registered in the name of an individual and not a charity.
Even if the charity is bona fide, what proportion of East London Textiles profit from collections goes to the charity?
This charity contacted me for donations towards an appeal, I asked all the usual questions I ask charities of which there are many that contact me. When I was asking questions they were very evasive and i became more and more suspicious about them. I was told that no fundraiser earns more than £10,000 - £12,000 a year. I decided to decline their request and had a look into the charity, searching tham on google brought up this site- obviously warning members of the public about them which automatically looks bad, when i did eventually find their website I had a look at the accounts and the wage bill states £157,000!!!! so obviously someone is taking alot more home than £10,000-£12,000 a year. For the first for of accounts only £1,951 was give out in donations to children..... and the accountants address is the same as the Charity registered address. I wouldn't trust them as far as i can throw them!
....I am contacting the charity commission. I have heard far too much about this charity that I am not happy with they seriously need looking into.
FYI East Londons Textiles 08/09 accounts at companies house show a nett profit for 08/09 of £337,676.00!
Principal activity, export of used clothing!!!!!!!
Got the bag, alarms bells sounded, thanks for the info. I don't mind donating clothes to the developing world, I lived in Africa for 4 years and bought them. I do object to dishonesty. I'll continue to take my old stuff to a charity shop with my GiftAid donor card
Ha! Got the same bag this a.m.
With the same suspicions as you I googled and found your blog entry. Good job.
I've worked for years with disabled children, and it's not true that "very disabled children in the U'K. are not getting any help". Any very disabled child has a legal right to assessment of Special Educational need, including home circumstances. If there are difficulties getting what they need spent on them, Parent Partnership, various pressure groups and the local M.P. can fight the decision. People may not get everything they like, but there's a well organised legal process for requesting what's needed, and LOTS of ways of appealing against a decision.
There are NOT many disabled children in the U.K that are not getting any help! Don't trust "Little Treasures"!
Educational Psychologist.
hey
I think you guy are worrying over nothing, I rang up the charity commission they said that in order for theses charities to be able to do this they have to get permission from all councils, and also if you have any concern on whether they are not giving money to charity make sure that there is a charity number on the bag, and if so the charity will receive money.
If its a company number they will just be selling the clothes, with the no charity output.
I also look on their website which now has been changed to .org, they are obviously a new charity and so that would explain for the bad accounts at the beginning and why they were .co.uk for a while.
They seem to be doing a lot of good work and helping a lot of kids.
I guess if you don’t wanna give them your clothes its your choice, but what else are you gonna do with them?
Thanks to Daphne for the blog and the 'anonymous' info on the company behind the charity. I am happy that people have reported this to the charities commission as I shared all the same concerns many of you have highlighted here, and the information found has disgusted me - what a fraudulent operation, mis-leading people who want to help, for their own selfish gain. I am sure that the small amount of money reaching a charity may do some good but not the disgraceful sums that are being pumped into private pockets. Well done! Please let me know how I can add my own complaint to the Charities commission, thanks,
Rebecca
thanks checked out charity website, in 5 months the company seem to have given the charity over £20,000, which is alot more than £2,000 a month.
the people doing it for them are a business, people dont do things for free, thats the way the world works people!
The charity get money they wouldnt have and our clothes get reyclyed, save the planet and help some kids.
Those few defending this setup should be aware that if they failed to give any money to charity they would be quickly stopped and prosecuted. These people use charities as a smokescreen, with the bulk of profits staying with them. As this site is easy to find, perhaps the people running this scam keep an eye on comments/criticism and do their best to confuse the issue with favourable posts? They have helped my child seems an obvious one to claim, where's the proof?
This scam has been going for many years in one form or another and is a favourite for those setting out in the scamming business. It's either third [developing] world, sick children or animals, think about it, the three issues guaranteed to stimulate the charitable impulse in people. Some even ask for jewellery and perfumes! There are plenty of charity shops happy to take donations of clothing and pretty much anything else.
I had a look at Gallman's End Farm
Manor Road,Abridge, Romford, Essex in Google Earth. Looks like a broiler chicken farm - several long sheds and a house and yard. Farmers are diversifying these days!
I looked up the charity no. on the web last week when I received a bag through the door. I found their website and gave them a call to ask for more info about the collection service. The woman i spoke to; i think she said her name was lorraine sounded tongue tied and like she was just reeling off any old rubbish to get me off the phone! In a word...B***ocks! the whole set up. not to mention their accounts!!!!! I know where i'll be taking my unwanted goods!
This scam has arrived on the Isle of Wight. I have notified the local Police and Trading Standards and also local radio. Its about time these scum were wiped off the face of the earth and the Charity Commission need to get their act together when issuing Charity Status!!
DONT U SILLY PEOPLE REALISE YOU COULD BE DAMAGING A CHARITIES NAME YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. I RANG THE CHARITY AFTER RECEIVING A BAG AND READING THIS FORUM. THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THERE FIRST YEARS ACCOUNTS WEREN'T GOOD AS THEY ARE A SMALL FAMILY RUN CHARITY. THEY WERE LEARNING THEMSELFES AND THEY HAD A LOT OF SET UP COSTS.I SPOKE TO A LOVELLY LADY WHO EXPALINED WHAT THEY DO.THEY RAISE MONEY THROUGH TELEPHONE FUNDRAISING AND EVENTS. LAST YEAR THEY HAD 6 SUPPORT WORKERS, PHYSIOS AND 5 FUNDRAISERS. APPARENTLY THEY STARTED WORKING WITH EAST LONDON TEXTILES IN SEPT 09 WHICH WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE COLLECTIONS NOT BEING PRESENT ON THERE ACCOUNTS. THEY SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH THE COMPANY TO DO THE COLLECTIONS ON THERE BEHALF FOR 18 MONTHS. THEY ARE CONTRACTED TO GIVE THEM A MINIUM OF £2000 A MONTH, BUT THE LADY SAID THAT SINCE SEPT THEY HAVE DONATED AROUND 20,000 TO THEM. WHICH HAS BEEN RESTICTED FOR FAMILY SUPPORT AND AIRWAY CLEARENCE VESTS FOR KIDS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSOIS(SORRY ABOUT THE POOR SPELLING). I QUESTIONED THAT THE DRIVERS SEEMED TO BE EASTERN EUROPEAN AND I WASN'T SURPRISED BY THE ANSWER. SHE TOLD ME THAT NO ONE BRITISH WAS PREPARD TO DO THE JOB FOR MINIUM WAGE. I ALSO FOUND THAT EAST LONDON TEXTILES HAVE A LICENCE FROM THE COUNCILS TO DO THESE COLLECTIONS AND THEY CHECK WHAT IS DONE WITH THE MONEY RAISED. HAVING SPEAKING TO LITTLE TREASURES CHILDRENS TRUST I FELT QUITE SORRY FOR THEM THEY ARE A SMALL CHARITY TRYING TO REACH AS MANY NEEDY FAMILIES THROUGH SUPPORT AND SMALL GRANTS, THEY SEEMED SO GRATEFULL FOR THESE CLOTHIING COLLECTIONS AND ON HERE ALL THEY ARE GETTING IS GREIF FROM YOU LOT. I HAVE OFFERED MY SUPPORT TO THEM THROUGH VOLEENTERING 3 HRS OF MY TIME IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS I SHALL REPORT BACK WITH WHAT IM SURE WILL BE SOME MORE POSITIVE FEEDBACK!! I THINK SOME OF YOU SHOULD RING THE CHARITY THEMSELFES AND ASK THEM SOME QUESTIONS AFTER READING SOME OF THESE POSTS(PLEASE EXCUSE MY POOR SPELLING AND GRAMMER, I KNOW HOW SOME OF YOU U ON HERE, MIGHT I ADD NOT ALL BUT SOME SEE IT AS SOMETHING ELSE TO CRITISICE PEOPLE FOR)
Eric Rohan is so obviously either an employee of Little Treasures Children's Trust or East London Textiles!!!!!!!!!!!
They must think people are stupid!!!
DON't you SILLY PEOPLE REALISE YOU COULD BE DAMAGING A CHARITIES NAME YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT. I RANG THE CHARITY AFTER RECEIVING A BAG AND READING THIS FORUM. THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT their FIRST YEARS ACCOUNTS WEREN'T GOOD AS THEY ARE A SMALL FAMILY RUN CHARITY. THEY WERE LEARNING themselves AND THEY HAD A LOT OF SET UP COSTS.I SPOKE TO A lovely LADY WHO EXPALINED WHAT THEY DO. THEY RAISE MONEY THROUGH TELEPHONE FUNDRAISING AND EVENTS. LAST YEAR THEY HAD 6 SUPPORT WORKERS, PHYSIOS AND 5 FUNDRAISERS. APPARENTLY THEY STARTED WORKING WITH EAST LONDON TEXTILES IN SEPT 09 WHICH WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE COLLECTIONS NOT BEING PRESENT ON their ACCOUNTS. THEY SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH THE COMPANY TO DO THE COLLECTIONS ON THERE BEHALF FOR 18 MONTHS. THEY ARE CONTRACTED TO GIVE THEM A minimum OF £2000 A MONTH, BUT THE LADY SAID THAT SINCE SEPT THEY HAVE DONATED AROUND £20,000 TO THEM. WHICH HAS BEEN RESTICTED FOR FAMILY SUPPORT AND AIRWAY CLEARENCE VESTS FOR KIDS WITH CYSTIC fibrosis(SORRY ABOUT THE POOR SPELLING). I QUESTIONED THAT THE DRIVERS SEEMED TO BE EASTERN EUROPEAN AND I WASN'T SURPRISED BY THE ANSWER. SHE TOLD ME THAT NO ONE BRITISH WAS prepared TO DO THE JOB FOR minimum WAGE. I ALSO FOUND THAT EAST LONDON TEXTILES HAVE A LICENCE FROM THE COUNCILS TO DO THESE COLLECTIONS AND THEY CHECK WHAT IS DONE WITH THE MONEY RAISED. HAVING SPEAKING TO LITTLE TREASURES CHILDREN's TRUST I FELT QUITE SORRY FOR THEM THEY ARE A SMALL CHARITY TRYING TO REACH AS MANY NEEDY FAMILIES THROUGH SUPPORT AND SMALL GRANTS, THEY SEEMED SO greatful FOR THESE CLOTHIING COLLECTIONS AND ON HERE ALL THEY ARE GETTING IS GREIF FROM YOU LOT. I HAVE OFFERED MY SUPPORT TO THEM THROUGH volunteering 3 HRS OF MY TIME IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS I SHALL REPORT BACK WITH WHAT IM SURE WILL BE SOME MORE POSITIVE FEEDBACK!! I THINK SOME OF YOU SHOULD RING THE CHARITY themselves AND ASK THEM SOME QUESTIONS AFTER READING SOME OF THESE POSTS(PLEASE EXCUSE MY POOR SPELLING AND GRAMMER, I KNOW HOW SOME OF YOU U ON HERE, MIGHT I ADD NOT ALL BUT SOME SEE IT AS SOMETHING ELSE TO CRITISICE PEOPLE FOR)
Please see above the 2nd last post, corrected. I agree with the last post. Blatenetly someone that is working for the Charity!
I don't think I'd want a "Volunteer" working for a charity I was running that couldn't even spell. Spelling & Grammar are just the basics surely.... how can you provide good service when you cannot even get the basics right?
im sorry but i find some of you quite rude. who says that just because i cant spell means i cant help people, i thought i would check this post this morning after i posted last night. i know some of you narrow minded people would have something to say. i do not work for little treasures or east london textiles. i dont have to justify myself to you.However i was born with learning difficulties and a charity helped me when i was growing up. All my point was is that perhaps you should ask the charity themselves before making assumpsions. but offcourse you dont really care about charities or the collections. i get the impression that you just want to moan about anything you possibly can.
Hello!
I am an employee of Little Treasures children’s Trust, this is mine and Little Treasures ONLY post on this bored. I am posting because I have been made aware of this notice bored, and am in shock about the slander against us as a charity and also what seems to be anyone that is defending us.
I can confirm we are a registered charity and our door to door collections are legal. If you ring up charity commission they will explain that many charities use this way of fundraising as it is a way to create a sustainable income.
We are not ashamed of the partnership we hold with East London Textiles and shall continue the great work that we do with them.
We are a young charity and in reply to the state of our accounts, the first year accounts contained our setting up costs. We also provide advocacy and a helpline which means that a part of our staff wages contributes to the work that we do with the families in need.
We are happy to discuss the work we do with anyone so please do not hesitate to contact us.
(I personally come from a Human rights background and will make it clear that I would not work for a charity that would be a scam)
It is intersting that someone from Little Treasures Children's Trust has finally left a comment on this blog.
This charity contacted me in December 2009. I spoke to a lady who told me that they were raising funds to send a young boy and his family to go to Euro Disney. I had never heard of this charity before. I was quite interested in making a donation. However, I explained to the lady that I wanted more details and she very kindly gave me their web site address.
I checked out the web site which on the face of it appeared to be in order. I decided to research further and then was when I came across this blog. I was horrified. I decided to check the accounts for 2008, I was not impressed.
I then contacted the charity, I spoke to a very nice lady and raised the issues of the accounts. I was advised that they were quite a new charity and this was in fact their first year accounts. I was advised that the amount of staff had been reduced and there were now only 5 employees in total. I was assured that no employee earned over £10 000 per year. The lady also mentioned that the 2009 accounts would be available to view somtime in January 2010. I decided to wait until I see these accounts before making a donation.
When I checked the 2009 accounts, I was far from impressed. The charity had raised £224 000 and only spent £26 000 on children. This is an improvement on the previous year but still not an acceptable amount. The amount for wages was a staggering £157 000 !!!! I was told that they had only 5 staff and no one was paid over £10 000 per year!!!! What on eath is going on?????
They are also claiming in the 2009 accounts £7857.00 for a telephone helpline. However, no telephone helpline is displayed on their web site! Please see contact details below, which have been cut and pasted from the website;
Telephone: 01708 753 339
Fax: 01708 376 581
Email: littletreasuresct@btinternet.com
Post: Little Treasures Children's Trust
138 South Street
Romford Essex RM1 1TE
I would welcome any employee of Little Treasures Childrens Trust to comment on the above. I would also urge anyone concerned about this charity to contact the Charity Commission.
I have always been doubtful of this charity but only just decided to research it thoroughly. Glad I did! The so-called 'defenders' on this site are quite obviously a set up, no doubt they are in receipt of a good proportion of the profits. The people that run these type of scams have no conscience, they're sickening! Next stop is the charities commission to place my complaint. Thank you all for helping to confirm my doubts
Hello,
With reference to our accounts mentioned on the previous post:
The accounts the Gentleman was referring to where for Feb 2008 to Jan 2009. We down sized our paid staff in Feb 09, and since only employee 5 members of paid staff in our office.
Within the figure of £157,000 spent on wages this included Support workers, Physiotherapists and Advocates, which is within our charity objectives.
We supply Financial Grants, Physio and family Support, as you can see not all money brought in is spent on financial grants to children(£26,000.00)
We don’t display our helpline on the Website because the families are referred to us through professional agencies and local authorities.
Our accounts for period Feb 09-Jan 10 will be published before the deadlines of November 2010, and will include all donations made by ELT, as the partnership was only set up in September 2009.
As mentioned before if anyone has any queries, please do not hesitate to Contact us.
We will be keeping an eye on this forum and will be happy to answer any further questions.
Thank you
How does a helpline cost £7857.00? Surely a helpline would be incoming calls. If someone was paid to man it, then this would be covered in the wages! Additionally, if the number is not advertised one would assume that they would not receive a huge volume of calls.
I am slightly confused by the last Little Treasures Children's Trust post:
You state that you have downsized to just 5 staff now. Then you have stated "Within the figure of £157,000 spent on wages this included Support workers, Physiotherapists and Advocates."
Well all three of those have an 'S' on the end so at minimum that will be 6 staff?! and that's without the annoying call centre staff! and if they are not 'Staff' then they should come under expenditure on your accounts surely?...
With reference to the post before. I think you may have missread the post from the charity. They state the accounts published are from 08-jan 09. I get alot of these bags and leaflets through my door, which i only fill if i have things i dont want and would only give to the bin men anyway. As i understand it. Its companies using a charities name without permission or a false charity reg number that are not real. Im not defending this charity. However i do think that as long as they are registered and have licences to do these collections then all checks are being done. You should be more concerned with bags from "DO NOT DELAY" these seem to be the real villians!!!
I love the blatant spelling mistakes from the Little Treasures Children's Trust. Typical of far eastern European scammers English.
ELT and Little Treasures Trust is a scam as confirmed by Trading Standards. Stay well clear people and donate in person to any reputable charity shop. Door collections are no longer a safe option, even if you do use printed bags.
charity shops sell their unsold items to collecters so they end up in the same place
Anonymous Anonymous said...
"charity shops sell their unsold items to collecters so they end up in the same place"
That may be so, but at least they don't take a huge slice of the money made.
AVOID Little Treasures Children's Trust
It is interesting that the comment on this board from Little Treasures states that their collections are legal. In many cases they are not, because they do not have a licence from the local council to collect. They are known to be collecting in Maidstone, Kent, Tandridge,Surrey and Reigate & Banstead, Surrey illegally. If you receive a bag from them, and you are concerned, you should contact the licensing Officer at your local council to determine whether they are licensed.If not the council should take enforcement action against the collection company..
I got an ELT charity bag last week so I'm interested to see what people have said. If it's a scam, I'm not surprised, we have had quite a few clothing collection of this kind round our way (rural Somerset, so perhaps they are branching out a bit).
No need for all this mullarkey and agonising though - just take your seond hand stuff down to the local heart foundation/Oxfam/Dorothy House/whatever. You know exactly where it's going then.
i am so glad i found this forum, the whole support staff thing is just a way for charities to try and fool the charity commission,and a terrible excuse for not spending the money where it should be spent. its a total scam. The posts are clearly from the charities own staff. What a load of old rubbish that the amount they spend on admin wages, fundraisers, physio's and helplines is warrented. its totally absurd. can you really see their helplines being that jammed, nobody has heard of them,all the major health authorities and hospitals dont even mention them on thier sites but they do with other charities, whyisthis, because they are not needed for support. i will be writing the charity commission a long letter and request answers. I have also copied and pasted all this thread so they can see for themselves what kind of people they are dealing with.
look at the accounts. the signature of the trustee who signed twice looks different yet is same person! Google the names of the trustees - nothing comes up.
and meant to say I saw a man in a layby putting on a "little treasures" sign on the side of his white van. Must have another job or maybe more signs with other "charities". Got the number of the van too! Will phone local council after bank hols.
I got a bag this morning (Sunday), collection is on Wednesday. I live in Oxfordshire. I look forward to asking the driver what he/she knows about the LTCT.
ive had problems with these collectors last friday in bournemouth my 80 year old father left his washing in his own bag on my doorstep which is up a driveway so nowhere near the kerb and guess what ELT stole the bag and contents ! i have been calling them for 2 days and they are fobbing me off the girl on the phone "Aiste" does not speak good english and promises to call back but doesnt i asked to speak to the person in charge this morning and she told me at 9 o clock that darren would be in at ten and call me i phoned back at 12.30 and she still insists he will call me but im not holding my breathe. i expect the next step is to call the council or police but i will give them until the end of the day to give me a proper response. these people are definate scammers even stealing bags that dont belong to them its absolutely disgraceful.
As most of you on this forum I have been bombarded with these bags through my door! I will get one a week without fail. If I have stuff I will give it to charities that I know and trust.
When I received Little Treasures Bag through the door, I typed them into google, and came across your site with many others. I was alarmed at first that they were a scam so I looked into them further, I found this comment on another website, http://www.snitterfield.com/forum.asp?forumID=765&subject=little-treasures-childrens-trust.
Hope it is of some use to those that still aren’t sure, just make up your own minds and do what you think is best.
As most of you on this forum I have been bombarded with these bags through my door! I will get one a week without fail. If I have stuff I will give it to charities that I know and trust.
When I received Little Treasures Bag through the door, I typed them into google, and came across your site with many others. I was alarmed at first that they were a scam so I looked into them further, I found this comment on another website, http://www.snitterfield.com/forum.asp?forumID=765&subject=little-treasures-childrens-trust.
Hope it is of some use to those that still aren’t sure, just make up your own minds and do what you think is best.
In response to what Lisa has posted, I too have read this link. I was so sorry to hear the sad news and I am truly glad that Little Treasures Children's Trust did help to improve this child's quality of life. However, this is one child that they have helped, how does the rest of their money get spent?
I also note that in earlier posts on this blog , Little Treasures Childrens Trust stated that they would be happy to answer any questions. The next two posts asked what I consider to be reasonable questions but Little Treasures failed to respond.
I would think twice begore giving to this charity and urge people with concerns to contact The Charity Commission.
Little Treasures Childrens Trust has now moved to south yorkshire - i am reluctant to donate after what I've read and i am getting a bag a week from these people. plus we get about 4 different charity bags a week through our door.
it annoys me when they wont take bric-a-brac cos I have plentt to shift for a good cause. I will be loading my car up this week and take it all to the british heart foundation and help the aged. two charities that mean something to my family that dont go asking for handouts in a blantant way.
just how much does it cost to print and circulate these bags for what they get back?
I have just received a Little Treasures Trust bag in Birmingham. I am a charity fundraiser and I often look at charities' accounts on the Charity Commission website when I am researching trusts etc to apply to for funding. This one is definitely a scam - their website says their money goes to equipment, holidays etc but the majority of their expenditure is on wages. It also appears that their office is bogus - their smart looking website has been put together using stock images - anyone could do this. Please do not put donations out in these bags - they are stopping genuine charities from getting income from donated items. These people have no shame or conscience - one scam in Birmingham is using fraudulent copies of bags from a genuine children's hospice. If you want to give away stuff to charity, take it to a charity shop.
Today I witnessed a battered blue Fiat Coupe bearing this so-called charity's logo on the sides via two hastily applied stickers in the Leeds area. It was piled to the roof with bags of donations clearly visible through the back window. It had Lithuanian plates bearing the registration number DHP245.
If this is a genuine children's charity then why are they asking for PERFUMES and COSMETICS?
Also, the bag I received today states that they aim "to generate at least £50.000 in the first year of collection."
Firstly, that does say £50.000 and not £50,000. Secondly, they do not say that they are aiming to "DONATE" this money, merely "GENERATE" it and then, no doubt, deduct their expenses as has been shown on their earlier accounts.
There are plenty of established and reputable charities out there and, to ensure that I am genuinely helping children, and not lining the pockets of others, that's where my childrens clothes will be going!!
Please see the following link;
http://www.frugalways.co.uk/life.php/little-treasures-children-s-trust-clothing-collection-scam.
I would urge anyone who reads this blog to contact the Charity Commission. It would appear that honest people are being misled and it is about time that action is taken.
I am a trustee of a childrens charity so have a lot of interest in other charities work in this field and like so many have looked into this one. I am happy for them to leave me the bags as I use them for putting all the dirty paper in from my parrots, no, I don't then leave it out!
I also have a bag and never having heard of them, I made a quick web search.
I was in the Middle East for many years and came across many scams which were believable until questions were asked and answers were not correct. There will always be someone using the 'system' to make money in a way that the majority of us feel is immoral although not necessarily illegal.
Best is to only give to charities that you know and have personal experience of. Do not waste your time in researching whether a charity is legitimate or not - it is up to them to make themselves more transparent. There is always a well established, well known charity that already does the work the 'new'charities are trying to do.
If you want to support a new charity then post the source of data so that others can check the validity.
I hate charity scammers. i got a bag from LTCT the other day, and came here after Googling their name to check them out.
They do look like they are EITHER very naive & inexperienced OR dishonest. I am not sure which yetbut I am going to try to find out. I live in Romford, where they seem to be based, so I will be speaking to the local agencies that they claim to work with - HAVCO, for example, as I have worked with them in the past and know they are sensible. I'll report back when I know more.
HOWEVER, I am utterly disgusted at some of the comments on this thread. Being Eastern European does NOT make you a scammer. Being dyslexic does NOT make you a scammer. For fuck's sake, people - if these people really are deceiving us, let's stick to the salient facts, rather than descending into namecalling and prejudice. OK?
With regard to the last post, how do they know that Little Treasures Childrens Trust work with Havco?
I have checked through Little Treasures Children's Trust website and the only reference I can find to Havco is on the funding partners page and all this indicates is that Havco may have made a donation in the past.
I do agree that not all Eastern Europeans are scammers. However, it cannot be ignored that all the recent charity scams that have been exposed in the media recently, in particular, clothing collections, involve Eastern Europeans!!!
I also feel that people should refrain from using bad language, it serves no purpose and is offensive!
I think that Little Treasures Childrens Trust or East London Textiles should make an official statement on this blog. If they do choose not to, it basically confirms all the concerns that have been raised. Little Treasures are even trying to sue one person on another site just for raising his concerns and sharing his dealings with them.
If anyone is concerned about this charity, you can report your concerns to the Charity Commission or Trading Standards.
We recieved one of these charity bags on Friday (1st October).It wasn't posted through our door but chucked into our front garden by a teenager (they're now all over the street, I don't thnk a single one was actually delivered through someones door). I checked with the local council (Chesterfield) who said they didn't have a licence to do clothing collections. She said they may have a Home office Exemption order though. I'm not quite sure how to check for this but I'll give it a try.
We recieved one of these charity bags on Friday (1st October).It wasn't posted through our door but chucked into our front garden by a teenager (they're now all over the street, I don't thnk a single one was actually delivered through someones door). I checked with the local council (Chesterfield) who said they didn't have a licence to do clothing collections. She said they may have a Home office Exemption order though. I'm not quite sure how to check for this but I'll give it a try.
If you got to this link http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/voluntary-sector/charity-law-regulation/public-charitable-collections.aspx. On the right hand side there is a list that you can click on that shows all the charities that have exemption orders. There are currently 43. At least you can check any bags that come through your door.
East London Textiles and Little Treasures Children's Trust are not on this list. Hope this helps!
These minutes from E.Northampton Council give a bit more weight to the scam argument against Little Treasure's Children's Trust. www.east-northamptonshire.gov.uk/downloads/Item_4_Mins.pdf
Even if the charity itself does do some good, they should realise that associating themselves with shaddy dealers like East London Textiles destroys their credibility and reputation. I suspect they are all in it together though.
Please see this link http://www.tswarrington.co.uk/. it would appear that East London Textiles are collecting on behalf of Little Treasure's Children's Trust without a license.
looked at this charity so many times on google earth its a cafe in romford what a joke.
most of there money is paid on wages account over due defo scam
I have visited Little Treasures childrens trust. They are based in an office above a cafe!
I am in Bristol, received one of their chairty bags this afternoon -30th December 2010. I am a Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator and after reading this blog and others will now be informing the local Council and Police before the collection day is due.
A while ago a white van man came to collect my charity bag but it wasnt quite ready, my husband asked him to wait beacause l had some good bits to put in, l took the bag out when it was ready and the girl that was in the van took it inside cab, not in the back with the rest. This made me suspicious as l had seen her the previous week at a car boot sale.
This is not a scam as such. What happens is that a genuine charity teams up with a purely commercial organisation to 'collect on their behalf'. This enables the commercial organisation concerned to claim on the envelopes that they are donating some proceeds to the said charity, as indeed they are. You can probably decide for yourself as to what split there might be between the commercial company's share and the charity's share but of course most charities are pleased to be able to get any money in, and so accept the arrangement.
If there is no Home Office exemption as in this case, the colecting company will need a specific licence from the local authority to collect. If they do not have one, the collection is illegal and you can get action taken (if you can interest either the Council or the Police in doing so - all the very best of luck with that one!).
I lived in the Czech Republic last year (2010) and nearly all the second hand stuff there came from England. Czech people are not aware that it's scammed/donated, just that it's from England & cheap.
specific examples:
- a colleague in Prague got me some good condition children's sweatshirts, jeans etc for a pound or two each. Her source is a mum who travels to Britain regularly to pick the stuff up and apparently has a room full of bags that you can look through.
- In our village the second hand shop only sold designer labels, both adults & kids. My husband got to know the owner who said her daughter living in England sent over all the clothing for her.
- In the nearby town where I worked many second hand shops had closed down but I was told the one still open had clothing shipments "from England, always from England".
Life is hard in the Czech Republic (and I've worked in lots of countries)- salaries are low, prices high on a local wage, employees are treated badly but work is hard to find - so there is a real need for affordable i.e. second hand stuff, and people are less fussy than here. There are also a great many scams; e.g. my mother-in-law lost money in a sort of Ponzi. I gather things are far worse in Romania, Lithuania etc. So I'm totally unsurprised if among the many migrants working here, and alongside our homegrown scammers looking for easy pickings, there are also a few Eastern Europeans (who probably think of themselves more as entrepreneurs).
Basically I feel it's up to us each to decide where our personal cut-off point is. I will be using the LTCT bag as a bin liner, but I can appreciate the argument that for some, these people may be rubbish removers. That's fine, but to dress up as a genuine charity is misleading or worse. Also. I worry about possible fly-tipping if the scammers don't appreciate what's been left for them.
Regards, Bella.
Little Treasures Web site has disappeared. I wonder why?
Someone I know got a bag through the door today from SOS Clothing L.T.D. They are collecting fro The Tree of Hope Charity. The Daily Mirror actually done a story about this mob and when they tried to contact them to ask further question, their office in High Road Ilford was empty.
What I find disturbing is the fact that SOS Clothing L.T.D's registered address is 138 South Street Romford. This is the same address as Little Treasures Children's Trust. !!!!!!!
This needs investigating.
To those who think that the company is suspicious because their accountant's address is the same as the company's registered address, it is very common for UK companies to have the registered address as their accountant's or solicitor's address since these are usually the people dealing with matters from Companies House. The registered address is not the same as the trading address and is not therefore proof that the company is bogus. In fact, nothing that I have read here is. Give them a break!
Legal Eagle, perhaps you should go back to Law School !!!!!
Collecting without a license is illegal.
Additionally, why is there another charity registered at the same address?
You may be correct about the Accountants address but what about the above?
Are you perchance an employee of East London Textiles or Little Treasures Children's Trust? If you are, why not defend your charity on this blog?
Collecting in Mid-Wales this week (1st week September 2011) My research tells me that even if Little Treasure Children's Trust does have good will it's so badly run that little of the money they raise will go to helping children. From 2010 accounts: <=26.93%, admittedly better than 2009: <=11.7%
As for East London Textiles Ltd, they'll surely burn in hell!
In the United States, organic food products and agricultural crops are regulated.
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Collecting in N.E.Lincs , no way will they get anything from me.
I knew they looked dodgy. A couple of weeks ago i put a bag out thinking it was for our troops. On the day of collection i just got up opened my kitchen blinds. The driver saw me and the bloke collecting looked at me. Both reacted as if ' oh shit quick' the collector didnt put my bag in the back of the black un marked transit van like you'd expect. Instead he jumped into the passenger seat with the bag and they drove of sharpishly. I remember thinking how odd their reaction was and its constantly played on my mind. This morning i just got home and saw the sam black van, this time it had a sticker on the back with ELT. I wont be leaving anymore bags out.
I for one am happy that there's a regular supply of these bags through my letterbox, as it saves me having to buy proper recycling bags for my rubbish :)
Does anyone out there know anything about this latest Charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research ? I have just received a bag through my letterbox for this Charity !
EAST LONDON TEXTILES. (ELT) Its a scam and fraudulent company and dealing in fake export and making a lot of money by making frauds with their customers. I also reported to the police.
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The charity is not the concern here. It is the unscrupulous companies that make lots of money from the bags and then only give a percentage to charity. They earn a very handsome profit and the charity get a disproportionately small amount
Spelling - grammar?
There are lots of places where one can donate clothes, eg. charity shops, M&S, unwanted clothing bins, etc. There are so many doorstep scammers and rogue traders and 'charity' collectors these days that bother the vulnerale elderly, and the goodhearted gullible. Who has the time and patience to check these people out - it would be better if these so-called 'charity' bags were banned.
Perfectly spotted ��!
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