EXPOSED: ‘Bogus fundraisers’ sending 12-year-olds to con Brits for cash on UK high streets

Activists and politicians are demanding a crackdown on “exploitative” companies that harass commuters for donations under the guise of tackling knife crime. The calls follow an Express investigation that uncovered aggressive and concerning fundraising tactics on the streets of London. Conservative London Assembly leader Susan Hall said she was “sickened” by the findings.

“I’m not the least bit surprised,” she added, “[I] do not doubt that this must be the tip of a very murky iceberg. The public are very generous and inclined to support charities – that their support and their money may have been siphoned off boils my blood. Throw open the books – we must get to the bottom of what has happened here.”

On the ground, our team witnessed disturbing scenes. At one East London station, a girl appearing no older than 13 was seen walking alone into a dark tunnel with a clipboard to approach strangers for cash—an incident we immediately reported to the police. At another location, a man claiming to be a volunteer admitted he “didn’t know” who he was actually working for.

When the Express approached fundraisers in North London, they fled, hiding their ID badges. At a central commuter spot, a collector became highly argumentative, accusing our reporter of “harassment” for asking basic questions. Other members of his group, wearing face coverings, took turns staring at us and filming us on their phones in a clear attempt to intimidate.

A leading knife crime charity boss, who asked to remain anonymous for fear his organisation could be the subject of unwanted attention by these groups, described the model as “bogus” and dangerously close to gang exploitation. “To create a scenario where a child is put at risk is just horrifying,” he said. “The model reeks of exploitation. It is not the environment you want to bring impressionable young people into, because it is not a million miles from the gang model.”

He added that genuine organisations are seeing none of the benefits from these street collections. “I’ve never met anybody who’s been on any of their courses, and I’ve never met any organisations who’ve done anything with them. There’s no evidence of them doing any positive action to tackle knife crime. I can see the money not going anywhere near the services they claim to deliver.”

“I walk past them every day and I see people genuinely connecting with them and giving them money,” the CEO said. “It feels really difficult because well-intentioned people are effectively being ripped off. We know full well what that money could do for us or for other genuine knife-crime charities. We could do an awful lot with it.”

Although these collectors carry clipboards and wear lanyards like standard charity workers, none of the organisations the Express found them working for are registered non-profits.

Instead, the money is funnelled into Community Interest Companies (CICs)—a specific type of business that commits to serving the community while still being allowed to earn a profit. This structure allows them to operate in a vastly different environment from registered charities. While charities are bound by strict transparency rules and publicly auditable accounts, CICs face far less financial scrutiny and allow directors to draw personal salaries.

In many cases, fundraisers actively hid who they were working for and refused to tell us its name. However, a volunteer for Mentor Point Youth CIC who spoke to us outside Camden Town Station did say who he was with.

When the Express examined the company’s accounts, we found that the company earned and spent close to £150,000, but provided little detail on what. It was listed as having a single employee, almost no physical assets and held zero stakeholder consultations.

Its website promises youth programmes like boxing, football, and GCSE tutoring, but gives no dates or times, listing sessions vaguely at Barking Town Hall, although the council said no one from the group has ever booked a space there. There were also many examples of text on its website and magazine that was copied from seemingly unrelated parties.

We contacted the organisation directly for more detail on its operation and have not received any response. Bruce Houlder, the founder of Fighting Knife Crime London, said he thought the findings were “concerning” and said that his organisation’s reputation had been affected by these groups.

‘We should all remain vigilant’

“I find it very sad that this work gets monetised by those not applying the proceeds to the direct benefit of young people. I have not been aware of the extent of this, and feel it tends to reduce the diminishing pot for charities like mine which are entirely dependent on the generosity of individual donors,” he said.

Deputy CEO of anti-slavery charity Unseen, Justine Carter, told the Express that the public should remain vigilant and report any concerns they have, especially when children are involved. “Some of the behaviours described are concerning and raise important questions about whether people involved in these activities could be experiencing exploitation,” she said.

“Modern slavery is not always easy to recognise. It can take place in plain sight, within our communities and on our streets, and those responsible can use seemingly legitimate organisations or employment arrangements to disguise what is happening. Modern slavery can involve forced labour, child exploitation and forced begging.

“People may be recruited through false promises of employment or volunteering, made to work for little or no pay, threatened or intimidated, or placed under the control of someone who takes the money they generate. Children are particularly vulnerable because they can be victims of exploitation even where there is no evidence of force, threats or deception.”

The Metropolitan Police has been contacted for comment.