Children with cancer scammed out of millions fundraised for their treatment

Emotional reactions and punishment

• Commenters describe the scam as unusually vile because it targets sick children and exploits donors’ compassion, not greed.
• Many call for very harsh penalties; some fantasize about extreme or “poetic” punishments, though others oppose the death penalty and argue existing laws would be enough if enforced.
• There’s debate over whether sentencing should distinguish scams that prey on “the best in us” versus those exploiting greed.

Trust in charities, street fundraising, and homelessness

• Several say stories like this are why they avoid donating, especially when “random” people approach them in the street, or to unfamiliar NGOs that may be shell operations.
• Others counter that not all large charities are scams and report seeing real benefits from legitimate organizations; advice is to donate locally and directly when possible.
• A long sub‑thread digresses into street homelessness, addiction, and whether to give cash vs food, with conflicting anecdotes about aggressive beggars, trafficking networks, and overwhelmed shelters.

Details of the scam and investigative work

• Commenters dig into the featured charity’s US registration (Form 990, IRS nonprofit status, tiny physical address, suspended website) and note the mismatch with its apparent online fundraising volume.
• Many praise the BBC’s “boots on the ground” work—visiting listed addresses, interviewing families, and testing donations—saying this is what real journalism should look like.

Platforms, ad tech, and scam amplification

• Multiple people report seeing and flagging these ads on YouTube for years, with little or no action from Google.
• Broader criticism: online ad ecosystems are described as “willing accomplices” because scams are high‑margin and constitute a meaningful share of revenue; complaint channels are seen as black holes.
• There’s worry that AI‑generated videos and personas are already being used for similar appeals (e.g., alleged Gaza fundraisers).

Healthcare systems and crowdfunding as root cause

• One line of discussion: the deeper problem is that families must crowdfund lifesaving treatment at all, creating a structural vulnerability.
• Others push back that scarcity and medical limits will exist under any system; crowdfunding also appears in universal‑care countries for uncovered or experimental treatments.
• This expands into an extended capitalism vs. socialized medicine debate, citing wait times, costs, incentives, and outcomes in different national systems.

Israel, extradition, and antisemitism disputes

• The charity’s Israel/US links prompt discussion of how hard it can be to extradite suspects from Israel, with examples from other cases.
• Some comments generalize about “Israeli scammers,” which others label racist; a side‑argument develops over whether raising patterns of flight to Israel is legitimate criticism or antisemitic framing.

Proposed safeguards

• Suggestions include government certification/QR verification for fundraising campaigns, tighter auditing of nonprofits, and stronger liability for platforms hosting scam ads.