We had another one of those fake charity collection things through the door yesterday. Lets take a look……
This time they have even given up on using a picture of refugees and have gone with a couple of cute kittens! What is that supposed to mean? I think it means, “Don’t think too hard about the details on this leaflet, just look at the kittens, aahh cute aren’t they? Keep looking at them, that’s right, now go get a bag and fill it up, remember the kittens? That’s right, now put the bag outside your front door. Kittens are cute aren’t they?”
Here is the pitch…
Dear Householder, We will be grateful if you could kindly donate your unwanted Ladies, gents & Children’s Clothing, Blankets, Sheets, Shoes, Handbags, Curtains, Belts, Bath and Hand Towels, underwear, Cosmetics, Toiletries, Perfumes.
Sounds to me like they want items to put on a car boot sale!
SHC COLLECTIONS LTD is a collecting company which provide people in need in Eastern European countries with affordable clothes for them and their families. It provides jobs in Eastern European countries for those sorting the clothes for distribution. It also provides business for UK export transport companies as well as creating employment in the UK factories grading the clothes and those people collecting the bags door to door. SHC COLLECTIONS LTD, Company reg. 06437255 e-mail: shccollections@hotmail.com
This is the bit that really rubs me up the wrong way. At first glance, I think, most people will think this is a charity, when in fact its nothing of the sort. One of the major giveaways is the inclusion of a company registration number instead of a registered charity number. Oh yeah and dont get me started on the email address, of course, all the reputable companies I know use Hotmail, errr no!
According to Companies House they have been running less than a year. (Coincidentally, being registered on my last birthday!)
Name & Registered Office:
SHC COLLECTIONS LTD
260 BOWES ROAD
LONDON
N11 2JH
Company No. 06437255
Status: Active
Date of Incorporation: 26/11/2007
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Company Type: Private Limited Company
According to Google maps, the postcode is in the middle of a block of suburban houses.
So there we have it, after just a few minutes of thought and investigation, my suspicions about this company are confirmed. This is not a company that I have any confidence in!
Isn’t the Internet wonderful?
HMRC – done
ASA – done
Local Papers – 3 done
Consumer Direct – probably not appropriate
Local Police – maybe tomorrow
I left a bag of clothes out to be collected yesterday Friday,could you arrange for someone to collect it please as it wasn’t picked up.
Dear Mrs Ramsay,
I think you have misunderstood the purpose of my post. I’m not FOR the activities of SHC collections, I’m exposing them as nothing more than fraudsters.
In the unlikley event that anyone from SHC Collection is reading this you might want to tell them where you live so that they can complete their mission. Sadly, they will have no doubt leafleted the whole of the UK this week and so a Friday collection could point them in any number of directions!
Andy
Well done Andy. I’ve just started delving into this company, so find yours and others comments immensely interesting.
These So & So’s have targetted the Air Ambulance Collections in our area. I contacted GNAAS and aired my concerns they agreed to ask the driver to knock at my door to collect the goods.
I typed a short note, duplicated it and posted a copy through all letterboxes on our road inviting people to deposit their donations on my doorstep.
The response has been wonderful and that Great North Air Ambulance Service has received the donations as intended.
Keep up the good work of Vigilance.
sylvia
Hi Andy,
Good job mate,
I was doing the same thing when I found your post.
Another one for your file is W & W Help Ltd. Co Reg No.6296698.
Email helpline1000@yahoo.co.uk.
Both companies sent leaflets through this week even though W&W are being disolved for financial irregularities.
Keep up the good work.
Dilli Gaf
Hello Dear Sirs,
I am looking for unsorted Door-to-Door goods from your company. If you are interesting in good partnership I will be glad. I am interesting in buing about 30000 kg per mounth. So if you can offer it please let me know.
With best regards,
Ramunas
Hi,
just had a flyer through the door here in Winsford, Cheshire. It gave me the inspiration to sort out my stuff. So I filled the bag along with another three and left them outside for the collection before 8am this morning. They were still there after 12 noon, so I decided to check them out on the web.
Glad I did.
Didn’t think it was a scam. Thanks guys!
All bags have now been taken to a very appreciative Barnardo’s, who I know will put them to good use and make money for the children.
just to let you know they will (apparently) be in Mark, Somerset on Saturday 13th June!! I am already aware of these types, so run a search and found this.
Needless to say, if I do have any of what they are after, I will take it to a charity shop myself, as should anyone else.
Thanks
I just had a flyer. They will be in cheltenham on Friday 12th.
Obviously a scam.
had a flyer through my door said they would collect 8am friday 12 june 2009 it is now 3pm and as they had not collected I decided to check them out and found your site. I am glad I did as I have now put the bags in my car and will take them to a charity shop.
thanks
FYI
These collected clothes do not go to 3rd world countries or even poor people.
They do not even leave the country or county they are collected in.
They are sent to companies that make what they call ‘felt’
Depending on the ‘felt’ required – the clothes (now called rags) are sometimes sorted into colours and different coloured felt is made.
But mainly they are sold to companies as ‘rags’ and are fed into a large grinding and cutting machine that makes grey felt for the bedding industry. (its the layer that lays over the matress springs)
these ‘rags’ are expensive to buy and are sold by the bale.
Had a flyer saying SHC will collect and to leave out by 8 a.m. at Tilford Surrey tomorrow Tuesday. Thought I could offload clothing left here by our two young who moved out over 25 years ago (both now approaching 50!). Bagged up 2 bags, and then thought this does not sound right! So looked at the web and found your site. Thanks for the warning. The two bags plus a lot more will be going to a local charity shop! But at least that yellow leaflet has started me clearing out!
I HAD A BAG FOR COLLECTION BUT FORGOT TO PUT IT OUT. IT WAS STILL IN MY PORCH.
MY DAUGHTERS GYM KIT WAS IN PORCH ALSO. BLACK BIN BAG HAD THEIR FLYER ATTACHED ONLY. THEY ENTERED MY PORCH, WITHOUT PERMISSION, TOOK BAG WITH FLYER AND ALSO MY DAUGHTER’S GYM KIT THAT WAS IN A DIFFERENT BAG.
THIS WAS THEFT AS THEY CAME INTO MY PROPERTY. CONTACT WITH POLICE. NO HOPE IN HELL OF GETTING IT BACK.
HAVE EMAILED THEM BUT GUESS WHAT NO REPLY.
ergh people who create bullshit charities like this piss me off, i work for a local charity and we are being forced into bancrupcy because the amount of donations has dropped dramatically, the credit crunch is enough we dont need these freudsters on top!
Crumbs i am locating to Oz and have 20 black sacks of Childrens clothes and desperate to get rid, was gone leave them out for them tonight as they are collecting tomoorow in Dover Kent. thanks for your advice, wont bother with the fraudsters now!!!
Thanks for saving time to investigate further thought it was a scam!…great tip regarding company reg versus charity reg.
Will inform neighbourhood watch to send e-mail.
They seem to be working regularly in Kent.
This SHS / SHC Collection have changed their tactic here, from an A5 flyer, that they put through the letterboxes, to an oblong white plastic sealed sleeve, with blue & red writing ( their blurb ) & figures on, with collection day, containing a plastic sack, (useful for own rubbish or taking unwanted items to a real charity shop ), same old scam !!!
Tim – Wadhurst N.W.
I got a flyer today. SHC now collecting for the 3rd world. I’d be interested to see how much of their revenue goes to the 3rd world. Perhaps SHC might like to tell this website?
Most people making donations to this organisation will expect it to have a largely charitable outcome ie most revenue going to the specified cause. Referring back to the piece at the top of this thread, N11 isn’t the third world. … and this “business” isn’t a charity
This stinks
Nick, Maidstone
Glossop Derbyshire – Received a yellow leafleft yesterday. saying they will collect on Wednesday – I felt it was a scam so checked it out and found your site – great to have my doubts confirmed – keep up the good work!
Last weekend we had the yellow leaflet posted through our door, Third World Clothing Collection, We Urgently Need Clothing. SHC Collections are a company, not a charity, they dress up their leaflet by leading the un-suspecting charitable public into believing the clothes will go to third world countries, this is not the case. I have seen black sacks outside peoples houses , do these generous people really know the truth, if they want to give clothes to charity then take them to a charity shop or arrange for a charity to collect them.
hi were from the winsford area there is a big problem due to our washing machine being broken we went to our mothers house and left a green bin bag tucked away with NO stickers or no other markings giving people permission to take it on Thursday the 2nd of July.it had clothes which were worth a substantial amount of money,also a babys car seat cover off her pram which is worth over £500 pounds which is now usless.we would like to know what you are going to do about this matter our phone number is 01606 596145
Thanks, Andy, thought this seemed like a scam, and you confirmed it. Will take my stuff to bona fide charity shop now. They are targeting this area in Suffolk this week. Will send scanned copy of leaflet to local papers etc.
i’v just had 1 of these leaflets posted through my door and put it straight in the bin!!all of these so called charity company’s are just scammers who are takeing your stuff for themselves,and they are all usually polish!!i take my unwanted stuff to my local charity shop even though it is a bit of a pain on the bus,but rather that than thieving polish scum stealing it and walking around in it for free!!!.they are collecting in manchester 22 tuesday 14 so beware..
I too had a leaflet but didn’t have time to put anything out, I have just emailed them to ask when they will be back in town, I too looked them up on google and have found this site – scary! Thank goodness for the internet.
They have been active in East Kent, but having had a heads-up via Neighbourhood Watch messages I tend to study the material quite carefully now and this latest was obviously not related to any registered charity. Unfortunately, the number of collection bags left in this area means only one in ten will get anything from me- with the best will in the world I can only thin out my wordly goods so far at a time.
Today, another bag appeared – and I saw the van delivering them too. ClothesAid, claiming to support NSPCC and pledging £75 per tonne of clothes. Having checked out their website, where there is advice regarding the bogus collectors, I am satisfied, but upset how suspicious I’ve become.
Advice here:
http://www.clothesaid.co.uk/collectionprotection.html
Who-Hoo! Got a leaflet through the door this morning with identical wording to the leaflet shown at the top of this site. This one is from W&W and they’re collecting in 2 days time. Enough time to contact my local council, Broadland, and see if their Trading Standards Officers want to get on the trail of these fraudsters.
Have received a yellow leaflet through the door from SHC Collections. Only became concerned when i read it and it had the following on it
“A chance to emtty your wardrobes of unwanted clutter and create space”
Spot the mistake??????
Will carry on doing as i have always done i think and carry on using re-cycle bins and the charity shops to dispose of my unwanted clothes…
Hoorray for thr internet…
Well they do get around don’t they?
Here we are in sunny North Norfolk, the back of beyond and we get one of these here.
We got the plastic bag ‘treat’, empty is correct, but they can’t spell rely…*laughs*
Just take the little extra time and get your stuff to a charity shop folkes, it’ll be far better used…
Oh and the address I have got is FLAT 65 RIVER COURT, CENTURION WAY, GREATER LONDON, ESSEX, RM19 1ZZ
No doubt another resdiential home
I was checking up on shc collections when I found your site well done, just as I thought a scam!!!!
Hi, I too have received these leaflets and they seem to be quite keen, as we received one on Thursday for today’s collection and one today for Monday’s collection…..unbelievable!!
I spotted that both leaflets, despite looking completely different, are from SHC collections and the one received today has a little girl making a ‘poor me’ face….really patronising.
If you want to help 3rd world countries, then there are a lot of professional registered charities that will be very happy to receive your unwanted clothes etc…so definitely doing that myself.
But the main reason I’m writing this post is in response to J.BEDFORD’s post from 13th July 9:12am – I’m from Manchester too and was appalled with the comments, hold your horses…do you have any proof that the people are polish? I find it very offensive what you said, I’m not polish but still find it a bit racist, unless you have any proof to make that statement, which I find very hard to believe, since we don’t even know exactly where this SHC is located, your statement is very prejudice.
I hope the rest of the people reading these posts have genuine interest in helping people in need and not in using this space to spread prejudice comments.
Hi I am Tomy.I have many many clothes are left here for charity purpose.Blankets, shoes, jeans,suites,like many things.Only thing is that Icannot sort it out and put in to the bags.Because in my case it is very task.So any body is collecting from my houseit is well and good for me. Now my address is [Redacted]. My phone number is [Redacted]. Today I will be avaiable at 12 0 clock. After 12 o clock i willnot be here. otherwise you tell me another available dates then iwillbe try for your time.so please call me above phone number please. sorry ididn,t found your email address. If i found your email address defenitly i will send yur email address. so please forword concerned people. Or send on my email address please
I have had other such so-called charity requests and have always ignored them as they have a registered company number printed on the bag- a definite giveaway. Today I received one. This time SHS are targeting the third world. What gave it away for me, after reading the blurb on the outside of the neatly packaged plastic bag, were the dreadful spellng mistakes. I quote the following:
“SHS Collection is a collection company who provide people in third world countries with clothes they can afford. This creates jobs for local people helping them become self sufficient not having to REALLY on state handouts or charity SHEMES allowing them to take pride in their ability to provide for themselves and their families”
Thanks for posting their address and for this information
Latest address for SHS Collections as listed:
Company Details – SHC COLLECTIONS LTD
Registered No.06437255
(?)Address: FLAT 65 RIVER COURT, CENTURION WAY, GREATER LONDON, ESSEX, RM19 1ZZ
Type: Private Limited with share capital
Incorporation Date: 26-11-2007
Status: Non-trading company
Last Accounts Filed up to: 30-11-2008
Last Accounts Analysed: –
Nature of business SIC: 52420 – Retail sale of clothing
I’ve had one of the bags today, which led me to this site.
Just wanted to say – J Bedford, if you happen to come back here after your earlier post… my username is for you!!!
Racists are as bad in my book as these pretend charity scams.
Really good to see people looking at this on here.
I have recieved many of these SHC clothing collection leaflets and in fact have begun to get two a week from SHC collecting every tuesday and saturday In the Oldham area of Greater Manchester.
I have also got a pile of other very similar dodgy looking ‘charitable company ‘ leaflets from various other that I am going to forward to trading standards .
hi andy,great post,i have just received a white collection bag from this company and the guy who delivered looks as though he would benefit from the clothes more than anyone,they are collecting in fort william,scotland on monday 9th aug,but we take our stuff to cancer research shop,so they will be left with just their bag to take away
Had my doubts about this company, also saw the hotmail address at the correspondence email.
BHF circulated bags here last week for collection today and i know they are genuine, but didn’t like the look of this company, so therefore went searching the web for info. Thankfully came across this site. The bag is printed that they will be back here tomorrow (Tues 10 Aug), and that’s to Mid Argyll in west Scotland.
Sick and tired of these people who think they can just take goods which are valuable to genuine concerns and use them for their own greed. I check out every leaflet that arrives through my door and 1 out of 20 are genuine, the rest are a scam…and it’s been going on for years so it must still be viable for them.
It really must be stopped, there are genuine cases of poverty out there, including orphanages and people caught up in typhoons who have lost everything including family and have nothing left and no means of surviving except from charitable people like us who want to help them but are being cheated out of that goodwill by greedy, thieving lowlife who would take the bread out of the mouths of children to feed their own consuming ambition to keep this vile business going, which has now spread over the entire Country. Has anyone out there got any ideas how to prevent them continuing.
On one website someone said to fill the bags with kitchen/garden waste and dog poo, used cat litter ect and leave that out for them with the leaflet celletaped to it – sounds good to me – but not always available – any other sound ideas ???
I live in Folkestone and have just received the white plastic bag with the same print as Portia, August 5, with same words and spelling mistakes.
I also find J Bedford’s (July 13) racist remarks about the Polish very offensive. We have quite a few in Folkestone, including a bakery/cafe and a grocers and they are some of the most charming, polite and hardworking people I have ever met.
Cheers Andy!
The scam is still going(Aug 2009), except they have minimilised the bright yellow leaflet. No cute little kittens, just plain paper (do you think the distributors have read your blog?!)
Basically leaflet says they are looking for clothes, perfume, underwear,belts, bedding, blankets,towels, toiletries. They will collect rain or shine and to leave out before 8am.
The company provides people in third world with clothes for their families they can afford.
The info they provide is Company Reg Number and hotmail address (which are still exactly the same).
Good detective work, and thanks again
Thanks for the warning. I did have my suspicions due to the spelling mistake (emtty) & Co. Reg No. (instead of a Charity No.). They’re even targeting sunny West Wales now!!
They also in Morecambe & Heysham, same old same old – spelling mistakes, co. reg number instead of charity number and a hotmail email address – err no I don’t think so.
Keep up the good work.
There was no need for the offensive, ignorant and judgmental remarks made by J Bedford (13 July).
They have also made it all the way up to Thurso in the far north of Scotland (near John O’ Groats). How shameless are thes folk – to take clothes for free and SELL them to the people of the world who can least afford it! Disgusting!! Surely the local authority or policce should be able to do something about these con artists?? At least now people all across the country are aware its a sham and can spread the word – hopefully they’ll get no more freebies from good people to line their pockets!
Thank you all, i read about this on Caithness.org and decided to give this site a look. i’m glad i did. this company has not yet reached me in Wick (near Terri in Thurso), if/when it does the leaflet will go directly into my recycling bin and my unwanted goods will go to a local charity shop. keep up the good work everyone.
These scumbags, SHC are back here in Wadhurst, East Sussex, today, doing their door to door A5, yellow / red & white leaflet drop for this Friday collection. This company are using people who may well be illegals or foreign students, to deliver their leaflets, the one i warned off could speak no english at all, the one before this i warned off, with me threatening to call the police, he ran off.
Some leave their bags of leaflets at the end of roads while delivering round, such a nice target to pick up when litter picking, and bin for recycling. This SCAM business needs shutting down by the Authorities, before others will shut it down.
Hi
Just to let you know, they put these bags out to us last Friday and I live in Halkirk, Caithness – 30 miles or so from John o groats. We had a company not so long ago doing the same, but we were warned about it in our local paper. Its terrible because now I will never put items this way to charity and it could all be legitimate.
hi, these people have now made it to Orkney!!!! got a leaflet through the door yesterday advertising collection tommorrow–glad i checked it out- will be donating all my stuff to the local red cross.
thankyou for information just got leaflet though door instead of emptying wardrobe putting leaflet in recycle bin and there spelling is as bad as mine. it says achance to emtty your wardrobe i live in perthshire
Hi Andy,
Fascinating info posted on here! I’m the Regional Manager for the Mind Charity Shops in the North of England, and on Friday 4/9/09 one of my self employeed collectors called me to say he’d had a run in with one of SHC/SHS’s collectors whop was quite blatantly picking up our CLEARLY MARKED Mind bags and piling them into his white van Reg BJ05 MOV. This was in the Wallsend area of Tyneside.
When challenged, he returned them claiming he did not realise we were collecting! Ours were not the only bags he had taken…
To everyone reading this, please please please if you see these people taking bags from the street for ANY legitimate charity, stop them ask them for ID and what they are doing! ALL of our collectors carry ID and will happily present it to anyone who asks.
If the bag says Mind, British Heart Foundation, etc, then when it goes out onto the street, it is legally the property of that charity, and anyone else who takes it is stealing. These people need reporting to the police as they’re taking money away from genuine charities trying to help those who need help! We rarely get prosecutions against them as we rarely get evidence, so picturesand witnesses always appreicated!
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It is so hard not to be racist in this case. I certainly am not in any other regard, having worked with rock against racism in the past. But haven’t you noticed that they are operating all around the country. That means a lot of people invovled, to whatever degree. I now have eight cameras around my house to keep the polish people next door out of my property. Some of the things they have done are, taking my bank card out of my bag for some reason, scrolling through my telephone records where at that time I did telephone banking [no longer] obtaining money by deceipt, asking tradesmen to come and quote for jobs on my property, I only fell for one of them, to have the pointing done on the ridge tiles, which all fell out after a year, ask for my housekeys for an appointment she had made with a window replacemant firm on a day that she knew I was at college,, and also I have had nails in my tyres, concrete in my drains, guttering dislodged, and numerous plants and trees in my garden and in pots ready to be planted being damaged or killed or cut down for over around eight years, cameras facing my back door, lights overlooking my backbedroom flashing on and off even on strobe for three nights until two minutes after I told my husband I was going to video it, listening devices [believe me]etc. The business partner she came up here to work with is a once-convicted computer hacker, no I don’t do wireless, and don’t do telephone banking. The latest trick is to have an aerial which is designed to interfere with the radio and telephone signals my suspecions and beliefs endorsed by the son telling his friend what the ariel was for. And what were those horse vitamins for?
There was also the case of the council tax being paid for only one single parent dweller. This is not a very big place and I get the feeling that there are a lot of people connected here. That’s why I get suspicious of all. After all this company is a national concern. and yes I have approached every body which should be concerned but will not come to my defence because they are afraid of being called racist. The last time I went to the police station I was literally shown the door. And just in case you are wondering, no I have not done a single thing against them, not even pointed one of my cameras at their property. All I do now is tell people what is and has happened. Tell me how not to be racist in this case.
What is it they are afraid of, that I am clever enough to spot all their goings on, well, some of them, like the horse vitamins [what are they for by the way, is it to cut hard drugs with or to make false medical products with to sell on the internet? We would not move and be out of pocket for them. Being a pensioner I do not plan to live here on this difficult site forever but could not afford to move until the house was refubished without losing money.