How to Spot GoFundMe Scams

[Jim G.]

~This showed up on my FB feed so I thought I'd share.


How can I identify fake GoFundMe accounts?

“GoFraudMe.com” is a website that helps identify fraudulent GoFundMe accounts, and it helps you learn how to identify them

Here are some red flags;

Look for Minimal details

What can you do to prevent yourself from falling for the scams?
• Look for specific details about recipient’s connection to victim/family
• Look for multiple images, ideally some including the organizer
• Better yet, look for a video posted by the organizer

See if images were pulled from the net

Find an image on a GoFunMe page and do a reverse image search with Google. If the image being used on the campaign is readily available online, be wary!
Here’s a guide that explains a fake GoFundMe and how to reverse image search to find a fake page, along with some other tips!

You don’t know the organizer and they don’t have an established “social presence”

Scammers often set up fake Facebook accounts to support their fake campaign. Here’s some ways to determine if it’s legit or not.
• Is the organizer’s Facebook account brand new?
• Do they have less than 40 “friends”?
If you said yes to any of these questions, then steer clear!

Lifehacker recommends contacting the organizer directly
You can do that by clicking on the little green envelope and sending them a message directly! Ask questions with specifics – fakers probably won’t reply, or give you vague answers.

What is GoFundMe’s stance on this?

“Donator Beware!”
GoFundMe says they can’t guarantee the validity of accounts, as there are hundreds of thousands of accounts set up each month.
However…GoFundMe started a “GoFundMe Guarantee” last year. They’ll refund up to $1000 to a donor that requests it for a campaign that GoFundMe deems fraudulent.

[AllaN01Bear]

1. i was taught by mom , never send or loan monies to people you dont know.

i got screwed several times in my life . hard lessons .

[left-of-center2012]

2. There was someone on du posting GoFundMe accounts

This was a couple years ago and she posted about five personal GoFundMe accounts.
The reason for some seemed to conflict with the reasons behind the others.

I put her on ignore so I don't know what became of her or her GoFundMe accounts.

[Skittles]

10. she us still on DU

but seems to have cooled it with the gofundme

[Crazyleftie]

3. Some one just debited my account with a gofundme

contribution that I did not make. How can this happen?

[Jim G.]

4. Contact Your Bank

They can straighten out unauthorized charges to your account.

[NNadir]

5. Thank you for these excellent pointers. n/t.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Thankfully I am not on Facebook

but didn't realize there was a tracking site for fraudulent gofundmes. And there are certainly many out there and in a similar vein, I have seen many crowd-funding solicitations posted on my hobby forums, so that is definitely a great resource.

The site is here - http://gofraudme.com/

Thanks for the heads-up on this!!!

[Jim G.]

12. Thanks For The Link!

[BumRushDaShow]

13. It was interesting to see

that the site did mention a big case of that here in the Philly area with respect to a couple who had created a GoFundMe for a supposed homeless vet who had purportedly given one of them "his last $20" for gas, and were later accused by him of having spent most of the money on themselves, barely giving him any of what had been collected. Then the investigation began...

Alleged ringleader of $400,000 GoFundMe scam hit with federal indictment

The heart-warming tale of a good Samaritan homeless vet fooled thousands.

By Bill Hutchinson
January 9, 2020, 12:45 PM
• 6 min read

(snip)

A federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday charges Mark D'Amico of New Jersey with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and other charges connected to the 2017 scheme that conned victims into believing the homeless vet, Johnny Bobbitt Jr., gave D'Amico's then-girlfriend, Katelyn McClure, his last $20 when she ran out of gas on a darkened freeway off-ramp in Philadelphia.

(snip)

In November 2017, the threesome fabricated the feel-good story and created a GoFundMe page they titled "Paying it Forward" and furthered the scheme by doing numerous local and national media interviews, including one on ABC's "Good Morning America." The scam began to unravel when Bobbitt, who military officials confirmed was a Marine Corps veteran, filed a lawsuit in August 2018 accusing D'Amico and McClure of using the GoFundMe donations as their "personal piggy bank to fund a lifestyle that they could not otherwise afford."

New Jersey authorities launched an investigation in the phenomenally successful crowd-sourcing campaign and in November 2018 charged McClure, D'Amico and Bobbitt with second-degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft by deception. "The entire campaign was predicated on a lie," Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina said at the time. "Less than an hour after the GoFundMe campaign went live, McClure, in a text exchange with a friend, stated that the story about Bobbitt assisting her was fake."

After being charged, McClure turned against D'Amico, claiming the scam was his idea from the get-go. Her attorney even appeared on "Good Morning America" and released secretly-recorded bombshell tapes casting D'Amico as the ringleader. "You started the whole f------ thing. You did everything. I had no part in any of this, and I'm the one taking the f------ fall," McClure is heard telling D'Amico on the recording. D'Amico allegedly responded, "You don't go to jail for lying on TV, you dumb f---." GoFundMe eventually returned all the donations to the people who were duped.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/alleged-ringleader-400000-gofundme-scam-hit-federal-indictment/story?id=68169208

[Jim G.]

15. Yeah, I Remember That Case

Something about they started the fund to get him a car so he could get a job or something. It was national news.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. Yup

and I think they got him a used RV to live in on their property while they lavished it up at the casinos and on vacations, and that's when he had had enough and the lie, that he was part of, was all exposed.

[Piasladic]

7. I Am xxx's Wife. He Is Very Ill and Urgently Needs Your Help.

UH HUH

Star Member xxx (XX, XXX posts)
5. Rule of XXAXX posted XXX times in less than a month

and was banned after several posts violated community standards. seems to have a longer history at Daily Kos. you will have to understand if you get skepticism from the community here, but if the story is legit I only wish better health on anyone suffering.

[Major Nikon]

8. The easiest solution is just to not send money through GoFundMe

The fact that there’s a need for fraud spotters just proves GoFundMe is incapable of policing itself. There’s just too many sociopaths out there who prey on the sympathies of others and GoFundMe is just giving them the perfect platform to do so.

[SheltieLover]

9. Excellent info, Jim!

Ty for posting!

[ailsagirl]

11. Thank you for this

[area51]

14. Unfortunate because of people having to rely on gofundme to pay for medical care n/t