West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin this week warned people to be on guard as criminals carry out bogus charity collections. Fraudsters hit the county during the summer running fake charity bag collections door-to-door. The MP issued the warning after it was revealed that experts estimated that this crime may be costing UK charities £50 million each year. Harriett said: “I was appalled to see that criminals have been targeting the area and denying vital funds for our local charities. “Christmas is a time for giving and I expect people will be thinking about making donations this month. “I urge people to be extra careful when donating clothes or other household items through house collections. “If you want to give away clothes or other items if at all possible take them into the charity’s offices or a store if they have one.” The Fundraising Standards Board has this week launched a public awareness campaign to help combat the threat of bogus charity collections. Alistair McLean, chief executive of the Fundraising Standards Board, commented: “While charity bag crime is a worry for all, we ask donors to remember that the large majority of collections are legitimate and that charities rely heavily on this income stream.” The campaign urges people to check that any bag collector works for a legitimate charity, which can be checked at www.charitycommission.gov.uk. The Board has also created a ‘kite mark’ for legitmate collections and launched an anti-fraud hotline number to report suspicious collectors.