This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

[Cristiano]

Homeless man conspired with couple who raised $400k on GoFundMe | Daily Mail Online

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Yup apparently all three have been arrested.

I genuinely felt sorry for this guy when it was reported a month ago or so that he was suing the couple because they raised all that money for him and spent the vast majority of it on themselves. To find out it was a scam from the beginning and all three of them were in on it just really really ticks me off.

 

[Memir]

"Stoic, pessimistic, craven pragmatist, ...too soviet". I've been called these things in all those ways and more.

While it does not surprise me that this turned out it was a scam?

I am none the less saddened that it was.



Being a cynic is not terribly happy making in my experience.

Being right most of the time in my assumptions doesn't make it any better.




Should not put anyone off supporting others through donations. I do not regret in the least the pittance I put towards Eku's (not sure if I have the spelling right) surgery. There are worthy causes deserving of support, and doing so will lead to being ripped off, probably more so than not. Still worth it.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Homeless man conspired with couple who raised $400k on GoFundMe | Daily Mail Online

I truly despise scam artists. They taint acts of generosity and turn people off of helping those truly in need. I believe there is a special place in hell for people who prey on the generosity of others.

 

[Dillon Levenque]

There are worthy causes deserving of support, and doing so will lead to being ripped off, probably more so than not. Still worth it.

Yeah. Sometimes you'll maybe think "What if...?". But even if it IS a scam, that's not on you.

 

[danielravennest]

I donate locally, like when they ask for school essentials for the kids. You can't go on a Caribbean cruise off of notebooks and pencils.

 

[Noodles]

 

[Free]

I thought it was activities like this for why we get nice things at all.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

A little more specific information

After fees, the proceeds of the campaign netted about $367,000, all deposited into McClure's accounts, Coffina said. Bobbitt received $75,000, and within months McClure and D'Amico had "squandered" their share to buy a car, high-end handbags and trips, Coffina said. They also used it at casinos, he said.

Coffina stressed that while Bobbitt, a veteran, deserves thanks for his service to the country and sympathy for his situation, he was fully complicit in the crime, making media appearances to help "promote the fraudulent campaign."

According to Coffina, McClure and D'Amico first met Bobbitt at an off-ramp near a casino they frequented, at least a month before the GoFundMe campaign went live.

They went back to the spot a month later, Coffina said. D'Amico took a picture of McClure and Bobbitt that became the face of the GoFundMe campaign that they started hours later, Coffina said.

Investigators reviewed more than 67,000 text messages in the case, including one McClure sent to a friend that read, "Okay so wait the gas part is completely made up, but the guy isn't. I had to make something up to make people feel bad."

In other texts, the couple discussed their inability to pay bills and their mounting debts.

Coffina also pointed out that Bobbitt posted a "remarkably similar" story on his Facebook page in 2012.

At the time, he wrote that he had come across a woman who had run out of gas and had a flat tire at a Walmart in North Carolina. He said he had given her the last of his money.

"I don't think that's a coincidence," Coffina said.

GoFundMe has committed to providing a full refund to the campaign's 14,000 donors, Coffina said.

 

[Arkady Arkright]

Bobbitt ? Where have I heard that name before ??

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Bobbitt ? Where have I heard that name before ??

I'll give you hint:

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Still trying:

 

[Cristiano]

A nice footnote on a really shitty story:

Police say the fundraiser for the homeless man was a scam. Now GoFundMe has refunded the money

 

[Zaida Gearbox]

This is why you should donate to actual legitimate charities.....

 

[Kara Spengler]

This is why you should donate to actual legitimate charities.....

Unfortunately it is not quite so clear cut. There are plenty of cases of monetary shenanigans with big charities everyone has heard of. Some orgs also get charity status but if you dive into the issue learn they should be avoided at all costs.

The best advice is to pick one (or a few) topics and delve into them. Then support charities around those issues. In this way you also find really small charities you may have missed before that need support.

Yes, there are always good causes beyond those to give money to but nobody can support *every* good cause (well, unless your name is Bill Gates). The best option is to pick your issues and support it as much as you can.