NewsVine_Mariyam
Platinum Member
I posted about this when Bobbit's attorney first filed the lawsuit to get an accounting of how the money was spent. There was a poster commenting at that who was convinced that the whole thing was a scam. Looks like s/he was correct.
Arrests in GoFundMe homeless good Samaritan 'scam' show perils of crowdfunding
Arrests in GoFundMe homeless good Samaritan 'scam' show perils of crowdfunding
The case is "a perfect example of the inherent risks and weaknesses of giving over a crowdfunding site," one expert noted.
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Homeless man and couple charged in alleged GoFundMe scam
Nov. 16, 201802:56
Nov. 16, 2018 / 3:35 AM PST / Updated Nov. 16, 2018 / 4:46 AM PST
By Dareh Gregorian
They've been used to help cancer victims, people in danger of losing their homes, businesses trying to stay afloat and communities trying to rebuild. And now internet crowdfunding sites are increasingly being used by scam artists trying to con well-meaning people out of their hard-earned money.
Charges Thursday against a New Jersey couple and a homeless man whose ostensibly heartwarming encounter led to a $400,000 haul on GoFundMe show how hard it can be to differentiate real people in need from those motivated by greed.
The case against the trio "is crazy," said Adrienne Gonzalez, founder of the watchdog website GoFraudMe, and it highlights the risks of giving to crowdfunding sites.
Stephanie Kalivas, an analyst for Charity Watch in Chicago, called the case, "a perfect example of the inherent risks and weaknesses of giving over a crowdfunding site."
The couple, Mark D'Amico, 39, and Kate McClure, 28, melted hearts across the country when they described an encounter McClure had with a homeless Marine veteran named Johnny Bobbitt, Jr. 35.
McClure said she had run out of gas near the interstate in Philadelphia, and that Bobbitt trudged to a service station and spent his last $20 so she could make her way home. The couple launched a GoFundMe campaign last November entitled "Paying It Forward," looking to raise $10,000 to rent Bobbitt an apartment and a car.
Their plea went viral, and within a month, more than14,000 people had donated a total of $402,706 to the cause.
But the "entire campaign was predicated on a lie," Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina said Thursday.
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Homeless man and couple charged in alleged GoFundMe scam
Nov. 16, 201802:56
Nov. 16, 2018 / 3:35 AM PST / Updated Nov. 16, 2018 / 4:46 AM PST
By Dareh Gregorian
They've been used to help cancer victims, people in danger of losing their homes, businesses trying to stay afloat and communities trying to rebuild. And now internet crowdfunding sites are increasingly being used by scam artists trying to con well-meaning people out of their hard-earned money.
Charges Thursday against a New Jersey couple and a homeless man whose ostensibly heartwarming encounter led to a $400,000 haul on GoFundMe show how hard it can be to differentiate real people in need from those motivated by greed.
The case against the trio "is crazy," said Adrienne Gonzalez, founder of the watchdog website GoFraudMe, and it highlights the risks of giving to crowdfunding sites.
Stephanie Kalivas, an analyst for Charity Watch in Chicago, called the case, "a perfect example of the inherent risks and weaknesses of giving over a crowdfunding site."
The couple, Mark D'Amico, 39, and Kate McClure, 28, melted hearts across the country when they described an encounter McClure had with a homeless Marine veteran named Johnny Bobbitt, Jr. 35.
McClure said she had run out of gas near the interstate in Philadelphia, and that Bobbitt trudged to a service station and spent his last $20 so she could make her way home. The couple launched a GoFundMe campaign last November entitled "Paying It Forward," looking to raise $10,000 to rent Bobbitt an apartment and a car.
Their plea went viral, and within a month, more than14,000 people had donated a total of $402,706 to the cause.
But the "entire campaign was predicated on a lie," Burlington County prosecutor Scott Coffina said Thursday.
