The attached leaflet was received to a Birmingham address, and I thought it valuable to post it for the benefit of the search engines. Without doubt, it is the wordiest and most convoluted charitable proposition I’ve ever seen, and I am pretty sure it’s a fraud. It mentions that it is a company as well as a fundraiser, and offers to “customers” a variety of “worthwhile products”, though what they are remains a mystery, as do the “top brand names” from whom discounts can be obtained.

The primary offering appears to be “Memento-52 Premier Pack Collection”, which you can purchase for £9.60, or £3.20 per person, and ought to be mandatory on marketing courses as a fine example of how not to pitch a product. This seems to take the form of postcards, and remarkably is an investment, children’s educational material, money-off vouchers, sponsorship, a cash lottery and a charitable donation all in one! It is said that in purchasing this highly desirable thing, the kind donor will be helping 16 charities, which apparently include groups connected with cerebral palsy, cancer and other serious illnesses; anti-abuse charities; help for “people who have been in an accident”; assistance to the “less fortunate” and, of course, “abandoned animals”.

Sadly there was no room to mention a charity registration number, and a search at the Charity Commission turns up naught. There’s no web address provided, and their location appears to be a rented vanity address on Regent St. The leaflet claims to be sponsored by “T & M Properties”, but without providing further details for that firm, they could be anyone.

Anyone else seen this? Please comment below if you have.