Northamptonshire Police has been made aware that bogus, unlicensed charity clothes collections are taking place in the county.

This type of fraud deprives bona fide charities of much-needed funds generated through the recycling of people's unwanted clothes, books and other items.

Taking a few simple steps will help you check whether the collection leaflet or bag you have received is for a genuine charitable collection:

• Check to see if the collection says it is supporting a genuine UK registered charity. Look for the charity's registration number on the leaflet or bag – don't confuse this with phrases like 'company numbers' or 'export numbers'
• Check if the collection organiser is signed up to the Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Regulator's Code of Conduct or bears accepted kitemarks, such as the FRSB tick or the ACS/IOF membership logo. Any of these could indicate that the collection is genuine
• Find out if the named collector is a member of the Textile Recycling Association – an up-to-date list of members can be found online here

Find out more about checking if collections are legitimate here, and learn more about avoiding charity fraud in general at www.northants.police.uk/crime-prevention