As the sun starts shining, it’s time to put away the heavy jackets and sweaters and sort through our wardrobes. Unfortunately, this season also attracts scammers and second-hand clothes thieves who pose as “charities” to collect your clothes. These so-called non-profit organizations install fake clothing donation stations, typically along busy roads, and resell the clothes for profit. These fake donation stations often mimic the appearance of real non-profit organizations like “Terre,” “Oxfam,” or “Little Nothings,” but without the official logos. They may also include small print in Flemish and fail to disclose the purpose of the donations. It’s important to be aware of these scams and donate only to legitimate organizations.
It’s wardrobe sorting season. With the sun starting to show, we put away the down jackets, the big sweaters and we take the opportunity to sort through our wardrobes. It’s the favorite time of the year for scammers, second-hand clothes thieves. Pseudo “charities” collect your clothes, door to door or via fake clothes bubbles. The profits made are used to finance criminal activities.
These so-called non-profit organizations thus install fake clothes bubbles, most of the time along a busy road. The clothes that you plan to bequeath to the needy are then resold, second-hand or by weight. These fake bubbles look just like the real ones, those of the non-profit organizations “Terre”, “Oxfam”, or even “Little nothings”. Except that their logo is not there. No more than the “solidr” logo (note: “solidarity”). They sometimes give indications in Flemish, or in very small characters. They also do not mention the purpose of the donations, what they will be used for.
So as you go through your wardrobe this season, make sure to donate to reputable charities or give to those in need directly. Don’t let scammers take advantage of your generosity. Verify the legitimacy of the organization and the clothes collection point before giving away your belongings. Let’s make sure our good deeds are truly helping those in need.
