If you receive an email from someone you don’t know asking for help with their cancer, beware. For example, someone at SurvivorNet just received an email using esophageal cancer as a hook, and while the actual email has typos and grammatical errors, some of the content sounds like this:
Subject: Are you interested?
Read MoreShill Sheila Johnson
Beware The Scammers -- Tips For Avoiding Scams About Cancer
- Never give your information over email or phone without verifying that the caller is who you think it is
- Before donating to charity, Google the charity’s name along with “scam,” “complaint,” “review” or “rating,” to check the organization for red flags
- Talk to your oncologist before using any integrative medicines, and know that traditional therapies are the only therapies proven to work
When SurvivorNet went into online chats rooms, we found a lot of people talking about this kind of email. In this scam, the emailer asks if the recipient can “distribute funds,” while claiming that she is dying from esophageal cancer. Scam emails are a big problem in our lives, and sometimes, it can be really hard to figure out which emails are legitimate, and which are trying to scam for money or your personal information.
That’s why we wanted to provide a little bit of information about scams involving cancer, that might be useful when confronted with scam emails, calls, or other solicitations.
Genetic cancer testing scam
Earlier this summer, the Federal Trade Commission began getting reports about what they called “government imposter scams,” where scammers pretend to be health care officials, offering services that might be useful to your health like at home DNA testing kits. They also asked for DNA samples in many cases. As part of the process, they ask for your health care information, social security number, and other important, private data.
In order to avoid this type of scam, know that government officials rarely call you, and if they do it will likely be preceded by a letter. Scammers can often alter what appears on your caller ID to say “Washington DC,” “government,” or anything else, so that isn’t a good way to screen for important information about the caller. In addition, any time a “government” caller demands information, according to the Federal Trade Commission website, that’s a scam.
Fake cancer treatments
For a lot of people who have just been diagnosed with cancer, it may be tempting to turn to the internet for treatment advice, and many of the answers that will likely pop up on the Internet include what are known as "alternative therapies." These refer to treatments that people may choose in place of conventional medicine, and they can range from mind-body approaches and diet and nutrition choices to supplements, healing crystals, Chinese medicine, and Ayurvedic medicine. They're touted all over the internet, and they often sound too good to be true.
Dr. Jason Westin, leader of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma research team at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma on staying away from alternative therapies for cancer online
According to Dr. Jason Westin, leader of the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma research team at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma that’s because they are too good to be true. "If there were treatment options that weren't based on chemotherapies or targeted therapies that worked well for our patients, sign me up!" he said.
But it's for a good reason that these therapies aren't used at comprehensive cancer centers: they haven't proven themselves effective in clinical trials, which are rigorous studies that test treatments in the population of people they're intended to treat. Clinical trials test new treatments for safety and efficacy; every drug or treatment approved for widespread use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has to have gone through multiple phases of clinical trials.
Talk to your oncologist before making any treatment decisions, and know that while some “integrative therapies,” or therapies that your oncologist has approved to supplement your cancer treatment may be useful, therapies that claim to be able to replace cancer treatment have not been proven to treat cancer and should not be trusted.
Cancer charity scams
Another way that scammers find their way into the lives of people who care about cancer is by preying on the desire to donate to cancer charities.
To avoid this unfortunate reality, the FTC recommends a few easy steps. First, when you’ve found a charity you want to donate to, do a quick Google search with the name of the charity and the word “scam,” “complaint,” “review,” or “rating.” This way, if others have reported that the charity is suspicious, you’ll have a heads up.
You can also check out the charity’s website and look for information about the programs they support, as well as numbers that explain how much of the donations go directly to the programs at hand (vs. how much is spent on administrative costs). Websites like Charity Navigator and BBB Wise Giving Alliance can be helpful for figuring out which legitimate charities to donate to as well.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.