Most charities do a wonderful job and help the most needy around the world.

I am a firm believer in giving charity and it is an unfortunate fact of life that charities are necessary.

However, in the last few years, the number of charities targeting the Asian communities has exploded. The charity business is big business.

This is none more so apparent than during the month of Ramadan.

The number of TV channels who solely rely on charities to survive is also growing.

Religious events always seem to expose people's generosity. If you scan through the TV channels, you will surely suffer from some charity syndrome.

This is also replicated on radio stations with endless appeals, using again Imams and other religious figures to promote their appeals.

I rang one TV channel recently and the person who took my call could not even tell me exactly how much of my money would be going to charity? It was not a trick question.

You can rest assured that after the incidents in the Gaza Strip this week you will get countless texts and messages urging you donate to a Palestinian appeal. It is as if an emergency is set to bring in more money and charities are quick to take advantage of this.

Children are a clear favourite for some of these charities as a means of extracting more money from people.

It is true, children pay the greatest price of poverty but many of these less established charities use children to 'sing' Naats on their TV or radio stations.

Imams and other household names are being used to appeal to those who are less able to differentiate from credible charities and the not so credible, to donate money.

We tend to think that just because the person is wearing religious attire that our money will be safe.

On the contrary, this signifies little or nothing and donors should carry out proper due diligence on these charities other than merely going off the appearance of the fundraiser.

What makes it even more worrying is that many of those donating are not so rich themselves but give from the goodness of their heart.

The idea that ‘our’ charities will spend 100 per cent of the donation rather than take an administration fee is the biggest fallacy perpetuated by some charities.

The fact of the matter some simply are sharing information with you and others are not.

It is well known fact that we have some charities boasting 100 per cent donation are not telling you that they are in fact claiming gift aid on your donation and it turns out are taking more of your donation towards administration than bigger ‘Non-Muslim’ charities.

Many people give money to these charities with the hope the money will reach the needy.

In the case of the big charities who are well established it is reasonable to assume your money will be spent wisely.

Donating to less well known or less established charities has risk. Make sure you have a reasonable idea of what is happening to your money.

Too often, less scrupulous charities will use emotive advertising to exploit the generosity of the donor and provide worthless assurances.

As a community, we should be more vigilant and care should be taken in identifying the bonafide charities.

It must be stressed, many of the established charities are doing a great job but the few bad apples tarnish the reputation of all.

Top ten tips from the Charities Commission to make sure you give safely are: -

Before giving, check the charity's name and registration number. You can verify this on their website.

- Fundraisers require a licence from the local authority (or the Police in London) to collect in a public place. Check that they have this.

If the collection is in a privately owned place, check that they have the owner's permission.

- When approached by collectors, check whether they are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed.

- If in doubt, ask the collector for more information - a genuine fundraiser should be happy to answer questions and explain more about the work of the charity.

- Genuine fundraising materials should feature the charity's name, registered name and a landline contact number. Be wary of those that list only a mobile number.

- Make sure when you give to radio and television appeals that the process is secure. Ofcom lists the rules for radio and television charity appeals on its website: Licensing - Ofcom website 

- Take care when responding to emails or clicking links to a charity's website to ensure that they are genuine. Instead, search online for your chosen charity to check you have the right web address.

For further guidance see: Guidance for donors - Get Safe Online

- Carefully review collection bags for clothing and household goods to ascertain whether they are from a genuine charity.

- After making these checks, if you think that a collection or appeal is not legitimate, report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 and inform the Charity Commission: Action Fraud - Police

- Don't be pressurised to give to a collection immediately. If in any doubt, donate directly to charity.