Don't Be Taken In By Charity Scams

The Coalition Against Breast Cancer sounds like a charity worthy of your support. And a lot of donors felt the same way, contributing millions of dollars to the group. But just because an organization has a worthwhile name, doesn't mean it's doing much, if anything, to further its charitable cause.

Saying that the coalition was nothing more than a sham being used by one of the state's largest professional fundraising firms, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman recently obtained a court order requiring the firm to pay $3.1 million in restitution. The recovered money, which is in addition to a separate $1.55 million judgment against the defunct charity's directors in April, will be distributed to legitimate organizations that fight breast cancer, Schneiderman said.

The case is just one of numerous actions states have been taking recently against charities and fundraising firms that officials say misused money donated for charitable causes. They underscore why it's as improtant as ever to check out charity before giving.

Here are some other recent cases:

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