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Sad But True: Breast Cancer Fraud Rampant
For years now I’ve made it a point to expose ‘Pink Ribbon’ fraud. Oftentimes, I’m hit with scorn from hypersensitive women who don’t appreciate I’m trying to help prevent such fraud.
After the jump … read an older post I did about breast cancer fraud, and then read about the latest $9 million breast cancer fraud uncovered.
Unfortunately, a $9 million fraud was just uncovered. These ‘Pink Ribbon’ companies maliciously prey upon the sensitivities of women.
A bogus breast cancer charity fraudulently raised more than $9 million over five years as its directors used the funds as a “personal piggy bank” for benefits packages, exorbitant salaries and loans to purchase upscale Long Island homes, as well as personal goods like cellphones, television and Internet services, authorities said.
This is an older post I did a while back …
Regular listeners know of my long standing frustration over companies using breast cancer as a means to make money while the majority of pink merchandise does not benefit cancer research at all. Something that has been confirmed many times, and is a stated frustration from legitimate cancer groups. Nonetheless, there has been an active effort to make every month breast cancer awareness month, and they’ve been successful.
Case in point, my wife and I were at Lowes yesterday, and we were inundated with breast cancer awareness merchandise … In May. Breast cancer awareness month is October. Now ask yourself, does it always appear to be breast cancer awareness month? Of course it does.
There is a couple of major problems with this type of perpetual marketing.
It takes away from the official campaign of awareness in October.
It’s mostly marketing pink products as falsely benefitting cancer research.
And it takes attention away from other, more serious cancers like prostate cancer. If it’s always breast cancer awareness month, how can more deadly cancers gain a foothold for awareness?
Many have asked me why this is happening since breast cancer is fairly mild compared to other cancers (yes it’s still very serious). The answer is remarkably simple. Breasts are one of the most easily marketed things in our country, and women are the most persuadable buyers. Ad the two together and you have an unstoppable recipe for moving merchandise.
Obviously breast cancer is a very important issue, but blindly supporting false advertising year around is no way to benefit its victims. So what can you do?
Don’t buy pink merchandise just for the hell of it. If you do, understand that it is for your own benefit only. Most revenue from pink merchandise does not go to cancer research or treatment. Often, none of it does. Don’t assume you’re helping research when you buy pink products, unless it’s from a reputable cancer group. Do your research before donating.
Donate to cancer research centers directly. This is the only way to know for sure your money goes for its intended purpose.
Don’t ignore other cancers. Sometimes people focus so much on one cancer to raise awareness that they forget there are far more deadly cancers out there. Make sure you get screened for these other cancers regularly.
Here’s some links covering the issue of pink products not benefiting breast cancer.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-10-31-pinkwashing_N.htm
http://www.ocala.com/article/20101007/articles/101009756
The Burning Truth By Casey Hendrickson 