Samuel Johnson slams ‘charity muggers’ for harassing people in street

Since losing his beloved sister Connie to breast cancer in 2017, actor Samuel Johnson has raised millions of dollars for cancer research.

But now the 40-year-old Victorian has slammed ‘charity muggers’, also known as chuggers, labelling them “snakes” and “dogs” in a fiery interview on the Today show.

Johnson slammed the charity workers who approach passers-by for cash and wants the public to be aware of where their donations are really going.

He said: “Chuggers are slugs, they’re dogs. I’ve really got no time for them to be honest. They’re snakes. Sharks.”

A chugger is someone who approaches people in the street on behalf of a charity, asking for donations or subscriptions, and they are often employed through a third-party.

Last year, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a report into this type of fundraising and found some shocking results.

The report found that in some cases third-party firms earn fees for each donor who signs up or donates money from a face-to-face or telemarketing approach.

Fees are then calculated depending on the amount pledged and donations are then used to cover the commission costs for the first year, with little or no money actually reaching the charity.

ACCC chairman Rod Sims said: “Charities need to ensure that consumers are well informed, and there is transparency to consumers when third parties or commissions are involved.

“This research raises some concerns about the level of transparency by some charitable organisations around these relationships and disclosure regarding the size and structure of fees paid to these agencies.

“We found it surprising just how many multiples of the monthly donations some charities were paying third party fundraisers for face-to-face or telemarketing services.”

Johnson has been a fierce advocate for cancer research and founded charity Love Your Sister with younger sister Connie, who sadly died of cancer at the age of 33 in 2017, more than 20 years after she was first diagnosed with the disease.

She battled bone cancer after doctors found a tumour in her leg when she was just 11 and was then diagnosed with a tumour in her womb a decade later.

Connie defied the odds and went on to have two sons, Willoughby and Hamilton, with husband Mike Johnson before she was ultimately diagnosed with terminal breast cancer.

What do you think of ‘chuggers’? Do they put you off donating to charity?