Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Receiver of Taxes Jeff Pravato and Assemblyman Michael Durso joined to warn residents who leave donations in collection bins to make sure that the organizations behind those bins have good intentions.

Particularly during the holiday season, Town officials have witnessed a proliferation in illegally placed bins asking residents to drop off clothing or toy donations. Many of these structures appear to be homemade, contain stencil lettering and no sign of legitimacy.

“The holiday season is the time for giving, and our residents have a reputation of being among the most giving on Long Island, donating food, clothes and toys to those less fortunate,” said Supervisor Saladino. “Unfortunately, this time of year is also when we begin to see this particular type of scam, and we want to make sure our residents are vigilant when it comes to making donations, whether it be with clothing or monetary contributions.”

While collections bins are not permitted in Town of Oyster Bay operated lots, some well-intentioned businesses that authorize donation bins may not be aware of some that are fraudulent.  Residents should be aware of the following warning signs:

• Collection bins with no identification
• Overflowing, non-maintained donation bins
• Donations being requested over the phone
• Acknowledgement of a donation never made
• Requests for personal identification, including social security number

“We want our well-intentioned residents to be certain that donations made out of the goodness of their hearts are going to the right place,” Supervisor Saladino added. “Residents should be wary of any bins with no identification, as this is in violation of county and state codes.”

Town officials have removed illegally placed bins in the past year after learning that donations were allegedly being improperly collected and sold for profit. Any residents who see these type of donation bins in their community in the Town of Oyster Bay should contact the Town’s Code Compliance Bureau at (516) 624-6200.

To learn how charities spend donation monies, residents can visit charitynavigator.org or charitywatch.org. To determine is a charity is registered in New York State, visit the State Attorney General’s website at www.charitiesnys.com or call (212) 416-8401.

Credit: Town of Oyster Bay