If charity leaflets or clothes collections are advertised, always check they're not bogus operators.
That's according to the Charities Regulator, which received almost 200 complaints about potentially fake groups last year.
CEO Helen Martin says the Regulator works with An Garda Síochána to track down people pretending to be a registered charity.
She's called on the public to always double check the legitimacy of any leaflets or collections before handing over time, money or spare goods:
"We, over the years, have continued to see significant issues around leaflets, and clothes, and different things like that - those collections are ongoing - that people see every day of the week. And and it's one of those areas that we work with An Garda Síochána. But, what it means is that those organisations, when people contact us, in the large majority of cases, they're not charities, and we have no way of contacting them".
