Is this Lithuanian Doorstep Clothing 'Charity' for real?

peterbaker

I noticed a 'hoody' delivering leaflets today and as I had just emptied my letterbox I saw that they had delivered a typical A5 "Your collection day is Thursday" type leaflet.

It says it is a a Clothing Collection for a Breast Cancer Prevention Programme.

It has plenty of small print but nothing in it says it is a registered charity.

The smallprint looks a bit duplicitous to me as it mentions I think four separate entities inviting the reader to assume that it is all nicely bound together in charitable work.

It gives a website address https://www.donotdelay.org which is redirected to a page within the Nedelsk site in Lithuania.

Further reading in the leaflet smallprint seems to emply that Lithuanian registered company No. 124013046 is the prime beneficiary of any clothing donations made, and that they make a minimum donation of £1,000 to THE project (they let you assume it was the project mentioned in the previous sentence.)

In the next sentence they say "For more information about A project visit our website at https://www.donotdelay.org.

Are we now to throw out our preconceived ideas about using registered charities as a way to protect our charitable donations from scammers and instead open our minds to a brave new Europe that doesn't appear to offer such protections?

Actually, when I started writing this post I was genuinely in two minds about whether this one was a scam or not. I have heard about the generic clothing collection fake charity scam of course, but this one is either odd but genuine or has received the attention of someone with brains focussed on pulling off a clever deception.

I am 95% certain it is the latter now.

The apparent Lithuanian Nedelsk project may or may not be a genuine charity, but they appear to be allowing https://www.donotdelay.org (who hide their registration details on InterNIC, to link directly into a page in their own website. Further investigation shows that Azzara is shown on the Nedelsk site as a "partner" of Nedelsk and of about twenty links on the Nedelsk Lithuanian front page only two work - the one back to the English message to people like me following the link on the leaflet, and another one which links to a vBulletin style forum. Very Mickey Mouse I think.

A Google for Nedelsk and Azzara yields a hit or two with the words "fake charity" springing to the fore... why oh why do we have to tolerate this kind of practice in the UK?

Any other views on this outfit Lithuanian registered company No. 124013046 which calls itself Azzara, or its "appointed agents" and "authorized stock collector" Intersecond LTD UK number 5713257, which is a recently incorporated UK firm whose business is declared at companies house as "Wholesale of clothing and footwear"?

hollydays

Report it to trading standards if in doubt.

peterbaker

Well I am in another flipping voicemail queue., this time to "Consumer Direct" (some kind of meld of OFT and Trading Standards authorities in London).

They seem to have caught the "Our lines are very busy. Please wait....we will connect you...as soon as one becomes available..." bug.

It is now 1700hrs so I guess they are all out of the front door by now whilst I sit buried in their telephone system.

....that's it, I waited 8 minutes already. I'm hanging up.

Nice idea hollydays, but the UK can't deliver.

Ellie2758

I've reported these scams to Trading Services several times but they dont appear to have the manpower to come out and catch the culprits.

LittleVoice

If a registered charity is involved the charity number has to be put on the literature. This is not the same as a company number.

I've usually found that they are "careful" in what they actually say and also that recent flyers received here have simply pointed out that the provide work for people working in the UK - for instance in both collecting and sorting items.

peterbaker

....provide work for people working in the UK - for instance in both collecting and sorting items.

and not forgetting delivering the leaflets under cover of their hoodies!

wishiwasarichgirl

I wouldn't wast my time over it, just chuck the flyer in the bin and if you really want to donate your clothes to charity just drop them into Oxfam or wherever.

milkydrink

I get these almost weekly from different companies.

They make it look like a charity collection, but they sell the clothing to the third (& second) world countries. They use the guise of providing sorting of the clothes as employment for the "doing good" bit.

The reality is that they have damaged the cotton, dye & cloth making industry in these countries and have DONE FAR MORE HARM THAN GOOD:mad:

sarahg1969

Could be the same folks as these?

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=324764&highlight=lithuanian

I have access to Companies House, but it's just about to close down.

Will check later.

Sarah

Here you go:

COMPANY APPOINTMENTS Obtain Help on Appointments screen
Registered No.: 05713257
Name: INTERSECOND LTD

Address: FOURTH FLOOR, 13/14
NEW BOND STREET
LONDON
W1S 3SX
Company Appointments: 2 / Resignations: 4
Exclude Resignations
To view details of other appointments held, click on the appropriate underlined name.
FMG LONDON LTD SECRETARY
13/14 NEW BOND STREET
4TH FLOOR
LONDON
W1S 3SX Appointed: 26/02/2007
Nationality: BRITISH

Company Appointments: 1

BIGUZAS, RAIMONDAS DIRECTOR
97 WAVERLEY ROAD
LONDON
SE18 7TH Appointed: 17/02/2006
Nationality: LITHUANIAN
Date of Birth: 02/05/1969
Company Appointments: 1

BRUZDEILINAS, EDVARDAS SECRETARY
3 THE BLACKTHORNS
CO. DOWN
NEWRY
NORTHERN IRELAND
BT34 2TE Appointed: 28/03/2006
Resigned: 12/06/2006
Nationality: BRITISH

Company Appointments: 1

KVIKLYS, SIGITAS SECRETARY
166 HEATH PARK ROAD
ROMFORD
ESSEX
RM2 5XL Appointed: 17/02/2006
Resigned: 28/03/2006
Nationality: BRITISH

Company Appointments: 1

NORKUS, REGIMANTAS SECRETARY
97 WAVERLEY ROAD
LONDON
SE18 7TH Appointed: 12/06/2006
Resigned: 01/12/2006
Nationality: BRITISH

Company Appointments: 1

STURIENE, AISTE SECRETARY
41 TURNSTONE CLOSE
PLAISTOW
E13 0HW Appointed: 01/12/2006
Resigned: 26/02/2007
Nationality: BRITISH
Date of Birth: 11/12/1976
Company Appointments: 1

BFG_2

The going rate for clothes is £450 per tonne ( a large sprinter/trannie hold about 3T .....not bad for tax free

MoaningMyrtle

I had one this week, A5 size, printed on glossy paper, they were asking for clothes, bric-a-brac, linen, shoes, toiletries, prams etc!! I put it straight into the bin.