BOGUS charity collectors are preying on people’s generosity by claiming a home for disabled people and a school is under threat.
The con has been branded “despicable” by the Hollybank Trust.
The Mirfield charity runs a school and residential facilities for people with severe physical and mental disabilities. It has had reports of people knocking on doors in the Bennett Lane and Hanging Heaton areas of Dewsbury appealing for cash.
Fundraising administrator Nicky Doyle said: “They are saying that the trust is about to close and that children would be left homeless. This is not true and these collectors have nothing to do with Hollybank Trust. We never undertake house to house collections.
“It’s absolutely despicable that people could do something like this and we just want to say to the public that they should not hand over money to these people.”
The con was reported to the trust by a parent of one of the staff members.
A member of staff was then approached by two Asian men claiming to be collectors for the charity.
When she challenged them about it, they said they had made a mistake and were in fact collecting for Scope.
The matter has been reported to police.
