News reports about a wave of charity clothing-collection scams in Britain are fanning fears that donations to legitimate organizations will suffer, sharply reducing their stock and sales, according to Third Sector Online.

David Moir, head of policy at the Association of Charity Shops, said reports of bogus collectors soliciting garments in the name of real organizations “could harm the public’s confidence in giving clothes to charitable collections.”

British charities that run store chains say their stock is already suffering as charities without shops increasingly collect clothes and sell them to commercial retailers.