A bipartisan group of 19 state AGs and the Federal Trade Commission – which, yes, still exists, for now – has shut down Kars-R-Us, which was claiming to raise money for breast cancer victims, but was mostly in it for themselves.
Between 2017 and 2022, this Kars-R-Us grift raised more than $45.5 million through vehicle donations on behalf of the United Breast Cancer Foundation. The scheme claimed that funds raised from vehicle donations would “save lives” by providing free and low-cost breast cancer screenings, but $34.9 million of the $45.5 million raised went to Kars, its operators and vendors, and just $126,815 went toward breast cancer screenings.
More than 84,000 Americans donated their vehicles to Kars-R-Us
A settlement announced on Thursday puts restrictions on Kars-R-Us and its operators, Michael Irwin and Lisa Frank, on future fundraising activities.
Irwin, Frank and Kars-R-Us also face a total monetary judgment of $3,882,091.
“This case should send a strong message to fundraisers that the FTC will take action if they misrepresent the truth and exploit the kindness of generous donors for their own gain,” said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “We are grateful to our state partners for joining this effort to protect the public from fundraising schemes like this one.”
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Chris Graham
