There is no heter at all to tell a lie so as to collect tzedakah. You cannot do a mitzvah by lying; Hashem demands that we be truthful in all our dealings. (Yoma 86a)
Tzedakah must certainly be legitimate, too, or else we have done no mitzvah. (BK 16b) What “legitimate” means is hard to say, and will depend on one’s judgment and his Rebbe’s wisdom, but in each case it must be determined.
Personally I would recommend never taking a collector’s word unsupported. One is not only entitled but almost obligated to find out reliably to whom one is giving and what for.
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