When I opened the Yahoo front page on my computer this morning, I saw a big ad for a group named Center for Aids Prevention, soliciting donations, and conveniently providing a one-click access to give them money (or give them your credit card information, which is even scarier). I'd never heard of this group, so spent about ten seconds looking at their website, saw some typos and vague and extremely questionable statements about Aids, HIV, what it is they do. What is it they do? Too vague to tell.
But I did a quick on-line search, and it turns out Mother Jones beat me to it. See article below. The CAP website includes statements that are either misleading or lies. For example, although they claim they have been doing AIDS charity work for 20 years, that's not quite true. The guy who set up this entity supposedly had a relative who died of AIDs in the late 1980s, and set this up to try to raise money for the funeral. Then did pretty much nothing until the recent revival, with questionable claims. The group is also reportedly associated with some company that has tried to sell herbs to AIDs victims based on vague promises of medical improvements.
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/03/shady-aids-charity-big-web-campaign?
This is a new low. The group is apparently running ads in the New York Times, too.
Don't give CAP any money. There are lots of good organizations dedicated to helping people with AIDs, and/or funding research to try to find a cure. Here is a link to some legitimate AIDS charities and support organizations inside the U.S.:
http://cellscience.com/HIVCharities.html#USA
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