HealthTree Blog

How far will people go? Do they not have the decency and respect for people who are truly suffering?

According to Fox23.com, a woman in Western New York has been scamming community by claiming that she had cancer and asking for donations. She had boxes in local business all over the community asking for money for transportation and medical costs. She is now being charged with scheming to defraud.

Taking advantage of generous people is bad enough, but using a serious medical condition like cancer to do so just puts it over the top. Millions of people who are fighting cancer right now can’t afford their treatment and struggle to keep themselves alive physically and financially. Many of these people don’t ask for hand outs and end up with thousands of dollars in medical costs that haunt them well after they recover.

Then you have this woman who thinks she can take money from not only healthy innocent people but also from people who  truly need it to fight cancer. Now that she has defied the trust of people who were so giving to her, they may think twice before donating their hard earned money to others, including people with cancer.

It’s important to communicate to anyone reading this blog that while there are scammers out there claiming they have a medical condition but are in perfectly good health (besides possibly having a mental health issue), there are many more who really are sick and do need the money.

Do your research when you donate so you know if the person truly needs the money. That way, you can give comfortably without fear that you are encouraging a scammer.

Photo Courtesy of: yummyporky