CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As breast cancer awareness month approaches, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a warning to caution people about donating money to businesses claiming to support breast cancer research.
BBB's Regional Director Katie Galan said that this is simply a crime of opportunity for some businesses.
“We always talk about how scammers work in seasons," Galan said. “Of course, with breast cancer awareness month coming up, that raises a lot of funds for breast cancer research, legitimately raises funds. But there are some businesses that maybe take advantage of that.”
The BBB, known for its commitment to protecting consumers, has raised a red flag over deceptive practices in the name of breast cancer support.
“And they may not be saying that the proceeds are going to something specific, they may be just wanting to make a buck off of what’s going on at the time,” Galan said. “So, it’s up to us as consumers really to ask those questions when we see those items come up.”
Cigdem Zambrano lost her mother to breast cancer 20 years ago. She said that businesses who are not truly donating to research are taking resources away from cancer patients.
“This is very special for me because I lost my mom to breast cancer, so it’s very sensitive for me,” Zambrano said. “I do support wholeheartedly but again, I would like to know where my money or donation is going when I do purchase something.”
Galan said that consumers have the right to ask questions about where their dollars is going, and she encouraged people to do this when they are shopping.
“Kind of at the end of the month, you can go through and say, “Hey, how much of that was donated? What was your donation to this charity,” Galan said. “You can kind of ask to see records in that way.”
She said that if people want to make sure their dollar is spent for cancer research, she says it’s better to donate directly to the charity.
