You would THINK that since I have been taking GREAT JOY to EXPOSE bogus breast cancer charities for almost SIX years now that they would know better than to call me, right?
Wrong.
I am sitting at my desk working and my cell phone rings. A call coming in from (267)-225-9040. I answered it because I am expecting a call from one of my doctor’s offices, and they have locations in Philadelphia and in the suburbs. And for some reason even when I say call the house phone, they call the cell phone.
The caller says “Hi this is Renee Baker with Donor Relations of the Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation.”
I asked how she got my number.
She said “excuse me?” and went back to her script.
I asked her again, how she got my number and was this a live person.
“Of course it is and we buy lists.”
Oh, I replied. Then I asked her who sold her my number.
“I can’t tell you who sold us your number.” (all indignant like I have SOME NERVE asking who they bought my number from LOL!)
So then I asked if they were that Florida based charity that the Michigan Attorney General’s Office issued a cease and desist order on in January 2017? ( Keeping up on bogus breast cancer charities have become sort of a perverse hobby.) Then, because I am nice that way, I asked what it was like taking money from people for a bogus breast cancer charity.
“WE.ARE.LEGITIMATE.” she says hotly ” We are a REAL charity out of Florida and I work in a call center in Alabama!!” (stupidly extending the conversation.)
No I said. You aren’t. Legitimate breast cancer charities do not employ professional fundraisers to dial for dollars. (and then I hung up)
Then, because I am nice that way, I called up Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation in Florida (only it did not sound like anything other than a VOIP line that could have been located anywhere.)
I asked the woman about the charity. She got all indignant. So I said to her fine, I would just Google away and put them on a blog.
I had NO IDEA what I would find when I started searching.
So… here is Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation, Inc. on GUIDESTAR
Here is a 2015 990: 2015 990 Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation
Here is some kind of financials: BCOF 2014 Audit
So I Googled the address and this is what I got:
I guess the suite number means second floor?
ALSO when I Googled the address, oddly enough I came up with ANOTHER non-profit. Help The Vets.org
So…here is Help The Vets on GUIDESTAR
Here is their 2015 990: 2015 990 help the vets
And check out the Board of Directors as per GUIDESTAR for BOTH non-profits:
Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation
And….
Help The Vets
Coincidence?
What are the chances?
Wow to have the time to run TWO non-profits out of the same address, right???
Money Raised in Michigan to Fight Breast Cancer Goes to Pay Salary and Professional Fundraisers
In 2015, over 2,000 Michigan residents gave $36,372 to an organization to fight breast cancer. The organization that raised the money is being accused of giving all of the funds to pay its president and professional fundraisers.
Yesterday, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced a Cease and Desist Order against Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation, Inc., a Florida nonprofit corporation, for false solicitation and diversion of funds raised to other purposes. The foundation has been in operation since July 2014.
In 2015, Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation (BCOF) raised $1,425,201, including $36,372 from 2,003 paid pledges from Michigan residents by telephone and direct mail.
The Foundation raised the money by telling donors that funds raised would be used for breast cancer research grants in support of a breast cancer vaccine. However, the Attorney General’s office says the Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation did not use the funds raised for breast cancer research.
During 2015, they made no grants
Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation
In January 2017, the State of Michigan’s Attorney General’s Office issued a press statement titled, “Schuette Files Cease and Desist Against Breast Cancer Charity Who Claimed to Raise Money for Research Grants.” For this reason, we have issued a High Concern CN Advisory. For more information regarding the charges reported, please see the press statement.
- In February 2017, the State of Michigan’s Attorney General’s Office issued a press statement titled, “Florida Charity to Pay Over $100k to Breast Cancer Research, and is Banned from Soliciting in Michigan for Ten Years Due to Deceptive Fundraising.” For more information, please see the press statement.
The concerns raised about illegal activity, improper conduct, or organizational mismanagement are serious both in nature and scope and have thus warranted this CN Advisory. We have published this advisory to provide donors with content that they may find useful when making their giving decisions. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors of sources used for the reported information, and not those of Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is not responsible for the nature or content of the information presented through such external sources and websites. For more information on how or when we decide to publish a CN Advisory, please review our methodology.
Here is the verbiage from the Michigan Attorney General’s Press Release from January:
LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette today announced a settlement with Florida nonprofit Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation, Inc. The settlement resolves the Attorney General’s claims that, in 2015, the group deceptively raised $1.4 million nationwide, including at least $36,372 in Michigan. The group’s solicitations told donors that funds raised would be used for breast cancer research grants. In reality, all the money raised, except for one $8,235 grant, went to professional fundraisers and other expenses—not breast cancer research.
“In recent years, my office has combatted deceptive solicitations for cancer, veterans, firefighters, and police. It’s sad to see these causes exploited,” said Schuette. “Donors should remain vigilant during solicitations—especially regarding emotional appeals for sympathetic causes. And it bears repeating: research the charity before giving.”
In settlement, Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation will pay $150,000, with $125,000 paid for breast cancer research and the remaining $25,000 to recoup the State’s investigative costs. Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation will also withdraw its charitable solicitations registration and is banned from soliciting in Michigan for ten years.
Background
In January 2017, the Attorney General issued a Notice of Intended Action against Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation, alleging 14,542 civil violations of charitable solicitations fraud, with maximum penalties of $10,000 per violation. In 2015, Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation raised $1,425,201, telling donors that funds raised would be used for grants for breast cancer research in support of a breast cancer vaccine. However, the Foundation’s financials failed to disclose any breast cancer research grants in 2015. In response to the allegations, the Foundation amended its financials and documented one grant of $8,235 for breast cancer research. But all the other money Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation raised was used for other purposes: to pay its professional fundraisers, the company executive’s salary, or other expenses.
The Attorney General’s investigation into Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation stemmed from the Attorney General’s 2016 investigation into professional fundraiser Corporations for Character, an investigation which resulted in a monetary settlement and the fundraiser’s withdrawal from the state. Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation used Corporations for Character for some of its fundraising, a fact which led the Attorney General to scrutinize the charity’s own fundraising practices.
The Attorney General’s January Notice of Intended Action ordered Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation to cease and desist the alleged violations, giving them twenty-one days to resolve the matter or face a civil action in court. In addition, the Attorney General also issued Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation a Notice of Intent to deny its charitable solicitations registration.
I think we can safely quantify this charity as BOGUS, yes? I am because legitimate breast cancer charities DO NOT dial for dollars, especially using cold caller businesses! And legitimate breast cancer charities do not have dances with state attorney generals.
And I will note I have asked this group to put me on a do not call list before – on both my cell and home phone. And my phone numbers, all of our phone numbers are on do not call lists.
Oh and that Help The Vets Inc with the suspiciously similar board and address? Charity Navigator also lists them to be of concern:
In January 2017, it came to the attention of Charity Navigator that Help the Vets, is the subject of an investigation by the State of Michigan’s Attorney General’s Office according to their press statement titled, “Schuette Files Cease and Desist Against Breast Cancer Charity Who Claimed to Raise Money for Research Grants.” For this reason, we have issued a Moderate Concern CN Advisory. For more information regarding the charges reported, please see the press statement article.
The nature of these allegations of illegal activity, improper conduct, or organizational mismanagement are such that Charity Navigator has issued this CN Advisory to provide donors with content that they may find useful when making their giving decisions. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the authors of sources used for the reported information, and not those of Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator is not responsible for the nature or content of the information presented through such external sources and websites. For more information on how or when we decide to publish a CN Advisory, please review our methodology.
People, do your charity research. Ask questions. Choose reputable charities and turn the others in to the Attorney General in your state. I am and I will also be forwarding this post to the lovely woman I assisted in the New York State Attorney General’s Office over another bogus breast cancer charity.
As a breast cancer survivor, there are lots of good days and sometimes some pretty low bad ones. The low days are often when someone I know who was also a survivor no longer is. Survivor’s guilt. Survivor’s remorse. It’s real, and it can be hard when it ripples across my brain. Those of us who survive are so grateful to be alive, but every once in a while there is the whisper: Why me? Why did I survive when she did not?
But then there are days like today when it’s clear that I am blessed to be alive and blessedly breast cancer free AND part of why I am here why I survive is to warn people about fake breast cancer charities.
Today it is a double header. The bogus breast cancer charity led me to the veterans’ charity with the same address, board, and odd looking IRS form 990s. It seems to me that the only thing more despicable than a bogus breast cancer charity would be a fake veterans’ charity.
Donate wisely.
ihavebreastcancerblog 
Thanks for your vigilance, and for exposing these people and bogus charity organizations.
As a general rule, I avoid charities that seek me out. I have selected charities and other organizations I wish to contribute to, and continue to support them.
I give in person if I see someone next to the Salvation Army’s red bucket, or the Veterans’ Auxiliary selling paper poppies.
If I get a call from someone I want to consider (last year there was a Veterans’ organization), I remind them I never transact business over the phone, but they are welcome to mail me information or pledges.
If they insist on trying to get you to “give NOW”, they’re either bogus, or simply folks I don’t want to do business with.
Keep up the good work!
Paz
Thanks Paz! Good to hear from you!
I have received numerous calls from some type of breast cancer foundation. They make me furious! I can tell it is a scam because they are usually young females who obviously have no phone presence except their script. My husband has metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer. When I tell them that, I get no response from them except to disconnect. After finding your website I will write down their names an numbers and make a report. I am disgusted by these people. They have no idea or probably do not care about the gravity, for some, of this diagnosis
The Breast Cancer Outreach Foundation contacted me a few days ago and wanted a phone donation. I asked then to send me the info so I could mail in a check. Looks like they’re still at it! What could I do to help stop them, other then of course, NOT send money?
Contact the New York State Attorney General bureau of charities
I kept getting call follow up call from them asking for donation. Thanks for the information here so I would definitely decline their request.
Thank you for the diligent research. I never give to charities over the phone. It give me time to do research, and your blog is the first relevant hit I get beyond the information about the Michigan settlement.
I was called too, only my spouse was asked for. Only scammers with lists will call my line and ask for my spouse. Renee was on the line, and I asked her how it is she would call for someone who did not have my number. She said, as you reported in your post, they (the fundraising outfit maybe? Or the not-entirely-legit breast cancer charity she is canvassing for?) bought lists. Renee’s fundraising company and the breast cancer agency are undeterred, months later.
You didn’t need all this info to prove this to people.. just ask any employee who works for the company while there off the clock. We will tell you the same.. we started wondering why our donors weren’t receiving there invoice mail and then they got all pissy with us.. we are told as little as possible about where the donations go after we hang up. We once thought it was legit as well but we learned the hard way. I’ll offer a good tip.. donate to help bring more real jobs so we don’t have to work at places like this…
Yeah sure ok – because your choice to work there is somehow the responsibility of breast cancer survivors? I’ll offer a tip back: try to check out companies before you accept employment. You also all had the choices to leave when you found out charities were NOT legit, didn’t you? It was YOUR choice to work for a company that contracts with other companies for cold calling, wasn’t it?
And here’s the last pro tip you’re going to get: you can call yourself “anonymous” but your Internet trail includes your IP address. Do not come back to this blog again
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I received a phone call on my cell phone 240-575-6668 while I am at work. I do not normally pick up my phone when I did not recognize the phone number but I am waiting on an important phone call and decided to answer. Needless to say I listed to Renee’s speech about breast cancer and she asked for a donation. I agreed to $20.00, she the forwarded me over to another person who asked me for a credit card, I refused. They then asked for my address to send a package to me within 3-5 days, I did provide that but now wish I had not. I will discard the package when received and will not send any money.
Thanks! Just heard of another one going around. Calls from 704-585-8962. When you call them back you get a message about it being the “Women’s Cancer Fund”. Yeah that sounds legit…not!
Got a call on home phone from 423-352-9207. Caller ID said Breas Cancer Am. Started out asking for 50.00. I offered less. She then wanted my credit card number. I told her I was not giving my cc number to a random caller. Mail me the donation card. She put me over to her boss who then asked for my cc number. I told her no, mail me the donation card. She said she completely understood and within the space of ten seconds she asked me again for my cc number, I hung up. No legitimate company calls and asks for a cc number. Most people know this is the first sign of a scammer.
Im laughing at the stories im hearing coming from the other side of the doors of one of these business and how the so called managers are having a crisis now that people are getting smart enough not to just hand out their cc. Supposedly the employees are getting bitched at if they have an understanding of someone being broke and not continuing to harras the person for their cc. I tell them they dont need to work for those shit head fools and go get a real job that is reliable and where they dont take the risk of the feds not only arresting the owners but all the employees who get rousted into falling for the scam against them and the ppl those dipshits have them calling. They are basically forced to harras ppl for cc but ultimately they all should just walk out and let the scum in their fake offices bury their heads up their own asses