888-293-0553

"The American Cancer Society is warning local residents about a fund-raising scheme which is occurring in the Humboldt region.

A telemarketing company calling itself "AC", calls people asking for donations for the Breast Cancer Society. The number they give for a call back for information is 888-293-0553."

"This is not a fund-raising effort on the part of the American Cancer
Society, the release said."

http://www.eurekareporter.com/article/080126-beware-of-fund-raising-scheme

I received a call soliciting funds for The Breast Cancer Society located in Pinole, CA.  I have searched the web for an official site and have been unable to find one.  I have not called the number on the invoice they sent me after reading the other emails.  This is totally ridiculous.  Thank goodness we weren't all born in a cabbage patch!  Where do they get our names from?

Solicitation of funds in the amount of $20-$30-$40 to be made to The Breast Cancer Society at the following address:  PMB 120-Gift Processing CTR-TX, 1564 A-Fitzgerald Ave, Pinole, CA 94564-2229. For Processing Questions 1-888-293-0553.  The invoice says their Headquarters is located at 10506 E. Obispo Ave., Mesa, AZ 85212.  They even sent a brochure.

I live in San Jose and received the same call. I said that I would donate and they mailed a brochure and a Tax Deuctible receipt is attached. They even put on the supervisor to verify all my details. They called me back after a week to see why I had not sent the check yet. I was unaware of this scam. Thank goodness I checked this out before I wrote my check. Their LOGO is not quite the same as the real one!!

I got a call from "The Breast Cancer Society" a few weeks ago. My experience was similar to Linda's, where they even had a supervisor verify my information.

I got a few mailings and even some call backs to make sure I donated. Then I got a little suspicious when I looked at the mailing and noticed there was no web site listed.

I did a Google search and didn't find their website until I entered ""the breast cancer society" mesa, az". This came up: http://www.breastcancersociety.org/

I received a call for a donation to the cancer society.  They told me what I should send and I told them I'd send what I could..then their supervisor got on the line and wanted to verify the amount I was sending..I knew it wasn't for real..their pink ribbon is phony looking.

I received a phone call from "The Breast Cancer Society" last week--with the supervisor confirming, etc.  Today I got the remittance envelope and decided to check on the validity of the organization.  
I haven't gotten any follow up phone calls yet, but will be expecting one.  
Glad this information was on the web. Thank you.

I think the address, 1564 A-Fitzgerald Ave, Pinole, CA, is a mail drop.  After researching the internet, this address shows as a mail service center with private mail boxes.

Had the same thing happen to me in Rockville, MD - thanks for the info, they sent me a brochure as well but I was suspicious especially when I was unable to find a website. Just glad I didn't write the check!
Is there any way to report this since they claim to be a tax-deductible organization?

I got this same call recently, and I am in the greater Boston area.  I was suspicious, too, and it's such a crying shame that they do this.  It's hard enough that my mother is battling breast cancer, and now we have to deal with the cruel people who take advantage of our emotions!

It appears that many people have unfortunately been mislead by this press release published by the Eureka Reporter - a small town news paper who regretably did not confirm the legitimacy of the information provided in the press release before publishing the story.
The Breast Cancer Society is indeed a legitmate IRS tax exempt charity. They are fairly new - having been founded only last year in an effort to meet a very serious need. Most cancer organization, including the American Cancer Society, focus most of their resources on providing research grants and educational information.  The Breast Cancer Society, however, does only modest research funding but instead puts their primary focus on helping breast cancer victims who are currently suffering from this disease by providing them with monthly financial aid. This assistance helps these breast cancer patients afford groceries, rent, transportation for treatment, medical bills, and so on.
The Breast Cancer Society is located in Mesa, Arizona, operates nationally, and their web site is:  http://www.BreastCancerSociety.org

Sue,

My husband and I just called this number 480-358-1069 (found through reverse address lookup) of the Mesa, AZ address and spoke with a Mr. Reynolds. We told him of our concerns about donating to an anonymous organization. He explained to us that this organization is more to help people suffering with breast cancer (i.e support such as money for loss wages, food, etc.) and not so much for research like the other cancer societies. His website is www.breastcancersociety.org.   I hope this will help you and anyone else that looks at this reply.

This is correct. The mentioned address in CA is one of about two dozen such regional collection points around the U.S. where funds are sent and then immediately forwared on to a central processing location in Southfield, MI where all donations are deposited into the Breast Cancer Society's exclusively controlled account to be used to support their tax-exempt opperations... specifically, providing assistance to breast cancer victims nationally.
The Breast Cancer Society's web address and additional contact information can be found at: http://www.BreastCancerSociety.org

Thanks for the comment on the logo. Personally, I agree.  We're actually looking a re-doing it.  Your comment may help push things along a little faster :-)

I live in San Jose and I got one of these phone calls back in June. I was in a huge hurry to get to work, it sounded like a good cause and I said I would donate, but when the literature came in the mail and there was not even a website listed, and the brochure used such vague language, I started to feel very concerned about sending a check (with all my financial information, after all) to an unknown organization. I had thought this was the American Cancer Society when I took the call, and I only realized it wasn't when I got their literature in the mail.

Back in June, I really had to hunt on Google to find the Breast Cancer Society's website, although it seems to be a bit easier to find now, if only because so many people seem to be wondering if it's a scam. Even more suspicious is that there's absolutely no information about the Breast Cancer Society listed with the Better Business Bureau.

One thing that this group is now doing that seriously makes me question what they're up to is the phone calls their call center has been making to my house for about the last two weeks that have been so frequent I'm starting to feel harassed. They call about four times every morning. My husband took several of these calls when he was working from home one day, and the calls have continued, one about every half hour each morning. One time, the call center people apparently did not realize they had not hung up and there was about three minutes of conversation between operators recorded on our voicemail. I definitely recognized the voice of the operator I had originally spoken with in June.

I would like to ask the poster on this list identifying himself as James who seems to be affiliated with the organization--what is your position with the Breast Cancer Society? What sets your organization apart from the American Cancer Society?

Same phone call details as you people have posted already.

Please file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center on http://www.breastcancersociety.org/
Here is the Link:
http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

OK James,
Why can't we find The Breast Cancer Society on the BBB site?

James?
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2007_May_31/ai_n27259511

I received a call just like everyone else.  When they told me to make sure to mail my check back as soon as I got the information, it made me question.    I waited until I got the packet to do my research.  After finding a few conflicting things online, I called the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.  The woman I spoke with nor people around her had ever heard of them.  I explained the persistence everyone has spoke about with them requesting to send the money quickly and it struck her odd as well.  The only suggestion she had was to check with the BBB, and since others have already done so I personally am choosing to put my money towards the Race for the Cure where I know it will be legit.  This is a very sad thing if it truly is a scam and I hope they would see the error of their ways and discontinue the efforts immediately.