• Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech
Stories from SWNS
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    How to find safe non-gamstop casino games

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Conservation zoos ‘have powerful potential to reverse extinction’

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    Royal Navy aviators raising cash to rescue stray puppy

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    “I got a new haircut – now I look exactly like Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings”

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    £6.8billion turtle-shaped floating city unveiled

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Business
  • Life
    • Celebrity
  • Tech
    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    Why Is Cloud Storage Migration Best Left To Professionals?

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    How Tech Is Empowering Small Businesses And The Economy 

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    The Technology Behind Forex Trading – And its Wider Impact

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    Must-Have iPad Accessories At PITAKA Black Friday Sale Event

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    How To Select The Best Lead Generation Software For Your Business: Our Top Tips

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Best Technologies in the Gambling Industry That Are Worth Your Attention

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
  • Review

    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay on the Nintendo Switch

    Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun Review

    macOS Sierra review: Mac users get a modest update this year

    Hands on: Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 review

    The Last Guardian Playstation 4 Game review

    Intel Core i7-7700K ‘Kaby Lake’ review

No Result
View All Result
Stories from SWNS
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Lithuanian man collected clothes in fake Barnardo’s charity bags… then sent them home to be sold

by
March 28, 2013
in News
0
Bogus doorstep charity bag fraudster Darius Kaminskas

Bogus doorstep charity bag fraudster Darius Kaminskas

0
SHARES
65
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Bogus doorstep charity bag fraudster Darius Kaminskas
Bogus doorstep charity bag fraudster Darius Kaminskas

A callous conman who pocketed thousands by claiming he was collecting unwanted clothes for Barnardo’s childrens’ charity has been jailed for 13 months.

Darius Kaminskas, 25, made fake bags copying the charity’s own – but misspelled the name ‘Bernhardos’.

He left them on hundreds of doorsteps and sent the donated clothes back to his home country, where they were sold on the thriving secondhand market.

Kaminskas also posed as a collector for a breast cancer charity and made an estimated £35,000 in just nine months with nothing going to the real charities.

He was caught when trading standards officials received numerous complaints from suspicious householders from Dorset to Wiltshire and the West Midlands.

His bogus bags misspelled Barnardo’s as ‘Bernhardos’ and when quizzed Kaminskas claimed that was the name of a Lithuanian church.

Kaminskas, who operated the con through his ‘Sparko Ltd’ company, admitted fraudulent trading and was jailed for 13 months.

Bristol Crown Court heard that the hoaxer, of Horfield, Bristol, got the idea for his scheme after working for legitimate charity collectors.

He set up his company in April 2010 and recruited three accomplices to distribute the bags across a wide area.

His ‘Bernhardos’ bags used the same green bag as the charity’s genuine collection bag and had phrases similar to those used by Barnardo’s.

He also made bags bearing a pink ribbon commonly associated with breast cancer charities.

The particular version Kaminskas delivered used the trademark of a Lithuanian charity tackling breast cancer by the name of Azzara.

The fake 'Bernhados' leaflet that came with the bogus bags
The fake ‘Bernhados’ leaflet that came with the bogus bags
A bag packed with second hand clothes. Kaminskas sent clothes he collected to Lithuania where they were sold
A bag packed with second hand clothes. Kaminskas sent clothes he collected to Lithuania where they were sold

Both fake bags falsely claimed to generate charity income of £50 for every tonne of clothing collected.

But Alan Fuller, prosecuting for Bristol City Council, said Kaminskas sold the clothing to wholesalers in Lithuania where he got around 50p per kilo.

When his company base was raided investigators found thousands of the fake charity bags.

They also seized a laptop containing scanned images of at least 38 different charity bags.

When quizzed Kaminskas claimed he was collecting on behalf of a church in Lithuania which translated as ‘Bernhardos’ – but that turned out to be a lie.

Defending, Rupert Lowe claimed that Kaminskas, who has a partner and a two month-old child, was a hard worker.

He said: “He could see money being made and thought ‘I could do it for myself’.”

Jailing Kaminskas, Judge Julian Lambert told him: “You were callous and cynical.

“Scam is the right word in English for what you did. Public confidence is greatly dented by what you did.”

Kaminskas was also disqualified from being a company director for seven years.

After the case Bristol City Council spokesman Stephen Meale said: “The collection of donated goods, especially clothing, is a very significant income stream for many charities.

“The cynical and fraudulent use of bags falsely claiming to be collecting on behalf of charities is not only abusing people’s good will and depriving charities of income intended for them to carry out their work but will erode people’s confidence in this significant means of fundraising.”

The Association of Charity Shops says bogus collectors deprive genuine good causes of millions of pounds every year.

The City of London police estimate that charity bag theft and fraud costs charities £50 million per annum.

Barnardo’s spokesman Chris Judd said: “We are concerned that our supporters would have been deeply distressed and disappointed to learn that their donations which they made in good faith were being misused in this way.

“We are very grateful to the various agencies who worked hard to bring this successful prosecution which sends out a clear warning to anyone else involved in this type of crime.

“We hope that the case doesn’t deter people from supporting us and other charities.”

Mr Judd, the charity’s assistant director of retail, pointed out that Barnardo’s no longer does doorstep collections.

He added: “If people want to donate clothes or other items, the best way to make sure they reach the right destination is to take them into a local Barnardo’s store.”

Previous Post

Try it if you dare: World’s HOTTEST Easter Egg is ten times spicier than a Vindaloo curry

Next Post

Pensioner’s life saved by cold-calling salesman who rang her… while she suffered a STROKE

Next Post
The cold-calling salesman called an ambulance after realising the pensioner he rang was having breathing difficulties

Pensioner's life saved by cold-calling salesman who rang her... while she suffered a STROKE

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected test

  • 122 Followers
  • 60k Followers
  • 190k Subscribers
  • 23.8k Followers
  • 99 Subscribers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

March 5, 2014
The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

The top ten most well-known bingo phrases

January 21, 2014
The horses thunder towards a jump at the Grand National

Amazing racehorse names which never made it

April 23, 2014
HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

HGH Injections Brands: Which Ones Are Best?

January 14, 2019
Chris Fear, 33, outside the Coral betting shop which is refusing to pay out on his 485/1 winning bet

Boycott Coral! Bookmaker faces protest after refusing to pay out on a football fan’s 485/1 bet

184
Women love cheesy chat up lines, a study has revealed

Top 20 cheesy chat-up lines ladies really love

147
Women feel invisible to the opposite sex at the age of 51, researchers found

Women begin feeling invisible to men ‘when they turn 51’

138
UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

UKIP candidate claims Jews murdered each other in the Holocaust in masterplan to create State of Israel

105
Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

March 28, 2023
Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

March 16, 2023
6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

March 10, 2023

Recent News

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

March 28, 2023
Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

The Führer’s Prophecy by Brian Klein 

March 16, 2023
6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

6 Benefits of Customs Clearance Services

March 10, 2023
SWNS

SWNS all rights reserved. Copyright 2020

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Auto
  • Blog
  • Business
  • Celebrity
  • Gaming
  • Life
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • Pictures
  • Property
  • Review
  • Sport
  • SWNS
  • Tech
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized

Recent News

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

Why are UK mortgage approvals at an all-time low?

March 28, 2023
Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

Mobile gaming vs PC gaming: Which is better for playing casino games?

March 19, 2023
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.

No Result
View All Result
  • Business
  • Life
  • Celebrity
  • Sport
  • Blog
  • Auto
  • Tech

Real Fix is a trading style of South West News Service Limited.
Copyright © 2020 South West News Service Limited.