Better Business Bureau warns against group posing as charity

ST. LOUIS -- The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers not to give to the American Cancer Aid Foundation, saying the group is masquerading as a charity.

"There are a lot of red flags that have popped up," James Judge of the bureau's St. Louis office said Monday. He said there was no way of knowing how much money the organization collected.

And the Better Business Bureau, which started a new department in September to check out Missouri charities, said it will be more closely scrutinizing charitable groups to make sure they're legitimate. This warning is the first issued under the new charity review process, Judge said.

Judge said his office has received phone calls from concerned consumers for the last few months about the organization. He said the group, which also calls itself AmCAF, has been soliciting door-to-door around the St. Louis area.

The American Cancer Aid Foundation said it was seeking to cure cancer, offered airline tickets for a $20 donation and said it was in good standing with the Better Business Bureau, according to an advertisement sent to the bureau by a consumer.