A campaign to stamp out fraud carried out by fake charity street collectors has been backed by the Fundraising Standards Board (FRSB) and the Charity Commission.

The “Support Charity NOT Crime” campaign, launched jointly by the Metropolitan Police and London Prevent Network, will raise awareness of key points for London-based donors and businesses to look out for if suspicious about a charity collection.

Alistair McLean, chief executive of FRSB said: “It is deeply concerning to us at the FRSB that criminals might take advantage of the generosity and trust of supporters, diverting much-needed funding from the cause.

“Charities deliver a raft of critical services and awareness programmes across the capital that simply wouldn’t be possible without donations from the public. Londoners should be encouraged that the large majority of charity collections are genuine and carried out by fundraisers that adhere to best practice standards.”

The “six simple checks” that donors are encouraged to carry out, include checking if the charity’s name, registered name and a landline contact number are printed on fundraising materials. Potential donors are urged to “be wary of those that list only a mobile number” and to look out for the FRSB tick logo.

Charity collectors should be “wearing an ID badge, have a sealed container and be able to produce a valid local authority or police licence”, according to the campaign’s six checks.

According to a Charity Commission statement, “most charity collections, in London and across the country, are genuine and legitimate” but “charity scams do happen”.

“There have been several convictions of individuals linked to fraudulent fundraising in recent years,” the regulator said.  

Sarah Atkinson, director of policy and communications at the Charity Commission, said: “Londoners give generously to the 5,581 registered charities in the capital. They should keep doing so, confident that fundraising fraud is rare and a few simple checks before donating can protect your money. Follow this advice to make sure your money goes to registered charities, supporting the good work these organisations do."

The “Support Charity NOT Crime” initiative includes both a physical and virtual campaign, and all 32 London boroughs are taking part, according to the charity regulator.

Londoners can get involved by following #supportcharitynotcrime and @safergiving, or by picking up one of the 200,000 campaign flyers distributed across the city today.