• ON Tuesday afternoon a young woman knocked at my door and, wearing a plastic identity card on her chest, informed me that she was from St Mungo’s charity. Her mission was to make the people in my area aware of homelessness and of St Mungo’s. However, she was singularly ignorant of the whereabouts of the charity and did not have a business card.

As fate would have it, I was dealing with St Mungo’s about a homeless person and so I mistook this woman for a bona fide visitor to discuss this issue and invited her into my home.

Alas! She was not the visitor I expected but was out to garner donations for St Mungo’s. She had it all: the sad face, pity flowing from her every word and gesture. She then produced a form. She would kindly fill it in for me, all she needed was my debit card to access my donation of £4 a week direct debit from my bank.

Warning bells had started ringing in my head. Was she from St Mungo’s? I asked her to to leave before I called police. She persisted on her mission to save homeless men before finally leaving.

I contacted St Mungo’s and discovered they do use an agency for their door-to-door begging spree. How much St Mungo’s receives after the commission is taken out of this beggars belief. The funds raised can’t be of much benefit to St Mungo’s. The voice on the phone from St Mungo’s was not at all apologetic nor did she understand the risk this sort of begging poses to vulnerable or elderly persons. She was fully aware of the modus operandi used by their agents.

I would warn readers of the folly of letting strangers into their homes and that they should never give their bank details to anyone.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED