Mary Smith had good reason to take a close look at sales pitch for donations to cancer research.
Mary Smith said, “It grabs at your heart because I have a brother and sister that both died of cancer and I regularly give to charity.”
But a solicitation for a donation raised her suspicions so she decided not to write out a check.
Mary said, “When somebody sends you something from a post office box number and no way to get a hold of them, no phone number that's a red flag.”
Several cancer charities have sent her mail including the National Charity for Cancer Research which is giving away a sports car as part of a fundraising campaign.
Joy King of the American Cancer Society is skeptical of the method. King said, “Most worthy organizations would not be requesting a donation as part of a chance to win a car.”
Postal inspector Dave Margritz says there is little information on the National Charity for Cancer Research.
He warns any donors to check websites that monitor charities before making a donation. Below are two sites.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/
http://www.bbb.org/us/charity/
