FTC, 10 States Take Action Against Operator of Sham Cancer Charity for Deceiving Donors

Summary:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 10 states have filed a complaint against Cancer Recovery Foundation International, also known as Women's Cancer Fund, and its operator, Gregory B. Anderson, for deceiving donors who sought to support women with cancer and their families. The sheer scale of the deception is staggering, with the charity collecting over $18 million from donors between 2017 and 2022, while only $194,809 was spent on financial support for cancer patients. The majority of the funds, approximately 85%, went towards for-profit fundraisers hired by Anderson, with the remaining funds being used to pay for Anderson's personal expenses, including hotels and travel. The FTC has alleged that the charity's claims about using donated funds to help women undergoing treatment for cancer and their families were false, and that the charity's actions amount to an egregious violation of consumer protection laws.