Children with cancer scammed out of millions fundraised for their treatment, BBC finds

Children with cancer scammed out of millions fundraised for their treatment, BBC finds

This excerpt describes investigations into potentially fraudulent charity campaigns allegedly exploiting seriously ill children in countries like the Philippines, Colombia, and Ukraine. Key points include:

– Families of sick children, such as Khalil (Philippines) and Ana (Colombia), were approached by intermediaries and filmmakers (notably a man named “Erez,” identified as Erez Hadari) offering to create fundraising videos promising financial aid.
– Children and families were filmed under stressful conditions, sometimes coerced for emotional performances (e.g., crying on cue).
– The families frequently received little or no money from funds raised by these campaigns, despite significant sums reportedly collected online (e.g., tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars).
– The individuals organizing these campaigns, including local middlemen like Rhoie Yncierto and Isabel Hernandez, claimed limited knowledge or denied responsibility for fund management and distribution.
– Some organizers expressed regret upon learning about the misuse of funds and the suffering caused.
– Documentation links the campaigns to organizations registered in Israel and Canada, but the real flow of money and accountability remains opaque.
– In some cases, the intermediaries connected to or employed by hospitals or NGOs used their positions to gain families’ trust.
– The families were often left confused, betrayed, and unsupported despite the apparent success of the fundraising campaigns online.

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Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More