A wave of bogus charity collectors are targeting pubs in the South of England - and licensees are being warned to be on their guard.
The scammers, claiming to be from children's charity Make-a-Wish, are understood to have visited pubs in Brighton, Southampton and Oxford.
The scam involves collectors using fake ID to trick licensees and customers into thinking they work for Make- a-Wish. It is understood they have been using open tins and handing out chocolates in pubs, to tempt people to hand over cash.
Steve Baker, chairman of National Pubwatch, said he had been alerted to the problem in the last couple of weeks. "My concern is that people are taking advantage of licensees' good nature," he said. "Most licensees will go out of their way to support a good cause, so they are vulnerable."
Baker said pubs where the activity is taking place can get a bad reputation, if customers are being hounded. "Licensees need to know who they are letting onto their premises," he said. "The collectors are being very upfront in saying they work for Make-a-Wish."
Amanda Baughen, head of new income development at Make-a-Wish, said the charity does not usually authorise collections in pubs. She added: "If we did, we would contact the pub first for authorisation and give them the ID number of the collector.
"People are giving in good faith and it's giving the charity a bad name."
Baughen she had been told the fake collectors were telling pub customers if they don't donate then "children will die".
"It's really shocking," she said.
Any licensees approached by someone claiming to be from Make-a-Wish are advised to call the charity fundraising department on 01276 405080.