A life-saving charity has warned home owners not be conned by fraudsters pretending to represent them.

An organisation claiming to be the ‘Air Ambulance Service’ has targeted residents in a campaign which is taking much-needed funds away from a genuine life-saving charity, according to an investigation by Trading Standards.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance and Suffolk Trading Standards have been made aware of a number of leaflets being circulated around the county by organisations representing themselves as the “Air Ambulance Service”.

The leaflets claim that unwanted items are urgently needed to ‘financially assist to cover or reduce the cost of ground air ambulance medical transportation for patients caught in difficult medical circumstances’.

Nigel Howlett, senior fair trading officer for Suffolk Trading Standards, said: “The key sign for the public that this is a scam is that the website on the leaflet does not work.

“If anyone wishes to donate items to a charity which has put a leaflet through their door then we advise that you do a little research on where your items will be going before leaving them outside your front door.”

Anyone who has received one of the leaflets can contact the charity on 08450 669999.