Don’t be fooled into tossing bags of used clothing into “charity” donation boxes that are nothing more than a scam.

Most people have good clothing they no longer wear, and would rather it go to someone who could use it than just throw it away.

It explains the explosion of clothing donation boxes in strip plaza and mall parking lots. They are crafted to create the illusion that donations are to a charitable cause, but the proceeds usually end up in the pocket of shifty recycled clothing exporters.

Jeff Green has for months been emailing us about donation boxes and sent us photos of a B’nai Brith box with clothing strewn around it, which was cleaned up a day after the photos were sent.

We weren’t about to take on B’nai Brith, as legitimate a charity as they come, as are Goodwill and Salvation Army, to name others that also collect clothing through donation boxes.

But a larger network of shady operators are tarring legitimate charities by ignoring bylaws that govern the boxes and placing them on private and public property without permission or licensing.

The city has so far laid 58 charges this year against clothing recyclers, mostly for unlicensed boxes, said Bill Blakes, an investigations manager for Toronto’s municipal licensing and standards. “The problem is bandits who put them anywhere and don’t get permission,” said Blakes, adding the city confiscates boxes if they are unlicensed or on city property.

Registered charities are exempt from licensing, but must still obtain permission to place boxes on private property and comply with a bylaw, said Blakes.

Convictions usually result in a fine of about $150, said Blakes, adding the city will ask for larger fines on charges that are still before the courts.

Anyone can place a donation box on private property, as long as they can show they have permission, the bylaw says. But the box must have a sticker on it, obtained from the city, “bearing an identifying number, the location for which the clothing box has been approved, and the expiry date of the licence.”

Operators that do not have charitable or community organization status must prominently display their name on the box, above the words, “Not a charity, community organization or religious institution.”

The bylaw stipulates the size of the lettering to be used and the percentage, if any, of the proceeds from sale of the clothing that goes to charity, to ensure that donors know who they’re dealing with.

We’ve checked out dozens of the boxes over the summer and have yet to find even one owned by a private operator that had a licensing sticker or a sign that complies with the bylaw.

The operators seem well-aware that enforcement is driven by complaints. The boxes are susceptible to dumpster-divers who climb inside, toss out the clothing, rummage for the best stuff and leave the mess scattered around the box.

It used to be a common problem, but areas around the boxes seem much neater lately, which suggests the operators have learned to check on them often to keep the mess down.

The signage on the boxes can be highly misleading and offer no information about the operator. We found one in Pickering that said “We support charity for women and children,” along with a g-mail address, but nothing else.

Another on Morningside Ave. is festooned with flags and has a sign that says, “Clothing donation. Helping you help others. Thank you!”

It has no identifying information on it, other than a phone number that is not in service.

A month ago, a box with a “Hope Canada” sign appeared on the property of a public school in our neighbourhood, next to a fence separating the school property from a small strip plaza next to it.

Within a couple weeks, the box was transferred a few metres to the strip plaza property on the other side of the fence, likely because the Toronto District School Board told the operator to move it.

We called the number on the box and spoke with Melani Miguel, the director of marketing and public relations for Hope Canada, and said we know they don’t have permission to be on the strip plaza property.

She said she’d look into it and later sent us a copy of an email to two people with Hope Canada, Subash Sun and Vivek Thiyagarajah, saying they need to “re-evaluate” the unauthorized placement of boxes.

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So far, it hasn’t been moved.

Call 311 to report a box that is unlicensed or doesn’t look to be legitimate.

What’s broken in your neighbourhood? Wherever you are in Greater Toronto, we want to know. To email us, go to www.thestar.com/thefixer and click on the submit a problem link. Or call us at 416-869-4823.