4 cancer charities accused in FTC fraud case

The Federal Trade Commission and all 50 states on Tuesday accused four cancer charities of being “sham charities,” charging that the groups had deceived donors and spent more than $187 million in donations on personal expenses, in one of the largest charity fraud cases ever. In soliciting donations through telemarketing calls and direct-mail, the FTC complaint says, the charities described specific uses for the money they solicited, such as transporting patients to and from chemotherapy or purchasing pain medication for children.