Town of Oyster Bay officials are warning about a growing number of scam charity donation bins.

Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino says sketchy-looking donation containers have been popping up in municipal parking lots. He says the container owners resell the clothing for their own profit and that nothing goes to charity.

State law requires proper signage on donation boxes, which Saladino says the scam bins lack. And in some cases, he says they don't even have proper spelling.

"You'll see the difference," Saladino says. "They are not very professional looking. They are made of wood, not strong structural metal."

Experts say not only can the illegitimate containers possibly deceive consumers, they also can possibly hurt legitimate box owners and the charities they support.

"They are a thorn in our side; they are a black eye to the industry," says Mark Field, of H&M Leasing.

Field says the illegal boxes cost the charities named on his containers thousands of dollars a year because people aren't researching the container owners carefully.

Gregory May, Nassau County's Consumer Affairs commissioner, says people should be on the lookout for bins that are from reputable charities.

Experts say for-profit clothing donation boxes are legal if they have the proper signage. You can contact your local consumer affairs offices or the state attorney general's office to find out whether a box is legitimate.