Cancer charity deceived donors, used only 1% of funds to help patients: Lawsuit

NORTH CAROLINA, N.C. (WTVD) -- North Carolina officials are joining a lawsuit against the Women's Cancer Fund for allegedly deceiving donors.

Of the $18 million raised between 2017 to 2022, allegedly only about 1% of that went to helping women with cancer.

The rest went to overhead costs, including holding fundraisers and paying more than $775,000 to the company's owner Greg Anderson.

He made nearly four times what was actually donated to women with cancer.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall joined the FTC and nine other states in the lawsuit.

"We want to shut them down," Stein said. "We want to get back as much money as we can if that's possible, and we want to send a strong signal to other charities out there. Do not take advantage of other people's good nature.:

Here are some things Stein recommends when donating to charity:

• Do you research before giving any money to a charity

• Check their ratings and any prior complaints with sites, such as the Better Business Bureau

• Ask how the charity will spend your money

• Try to pay through the charity's website using a credit card and void paying over the phone