GoFundMe Scams, Back to the Future Problems & Pat Smear Doesn’t Care

SPEAKER_1 (0:00)

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements.

Riz (0:38)

An 81-year-old grandfather working around the clock to pay for his wife's cancer treatments. A GoFundMe setup.

Lern (0:46)

I did see this. And I was so, I loved it. I was like, this is so nice.

Riz (0:49)

GoFundMe was set up.

Lern (0:51)

Also hated that this guy still had to work.

Riz (0:55)

81-year-old man. GoFundMe set up.

$745,000 raised.

Lern (1:00)

It's incredible.

Riz (1:01)

Incredible, right? Just what a story, huh? An elderly Texas luggage driver.

Again, working still because of his wife's illness. And the GoFundMe has been shut down, and all the money has been refunded.

Scott (1:18)

Oh, no.

Riz (1:21)

Why?

Lern (1:22)

Why?

Riz (1:22)

Did you see the story?

Lern (1:23)

I did.

Riz (1:23)

Did you see what happened?

Lern (1:24)

Yes. And honestly, the explanation, not the best.

Riz (1:31)

Ah, man. Okay, so this massive GoFundMe, $745,000, an elderly Texas luggage driver. It's been shut down. Every single cent has been refunded to donors. After GoFundMe discovered that the quote unquote caring neighbor who started the page was actually the couple's daughter in disguise. Yeah. So what happened was the internet falls in love with this campaign launched for this 81 year old guy named Daryl Johnson, who was reportedly working grueling hours, delivering lost airline luggage to make ends meet while his wife at 57 years, Josephine, battled cancer and the page was created by a woman claiming to be a local resident named Erin Howell, who wrote a heartbreaking description detailing how she watched the exhausted old man struggle up her steps and felt compelled to help. So after receiving a tip questioning the organizer's identity, GoFundMe's trust and safety team called Erin on a recorded line. When pressed directly, she confessed her real name is Amy Johnson and that Donald and Josephine are actually her parents. And GoFundMe said that Amy admitted she fabricated the neighbor persona because she thought her parents' heartbreaking medical story would be more compelling if it was told from a stranger's point of view.

And she insisted the core details are real. Like dad is 81, he's a luggage driver, mom's been sick, he has been working these grueling hours going up the stairs. The story is true.

But the concerned neighbor part of it is not true. So should GoFundMe have shut down the account? Should they have shut down the campaign?

Lern (3:25)

Yeah, because I hate that, because I hate that old man's working and trying to pay for his wife's medical bills and whatnot. But I mean, she should have just fessed up like all families do and say, hey, I'm helping out my parents.

Riz (3:36)

Yeah.

Scott (3:37)

Yeah, he's a sweet guy doing this thing.

Lern (3:38)

Right, that still maybe would have had enough likes or shares or something, I don't know.

Scott (3:43)

And did he, was he even in on any of that? You know?

Lern (3:46)

Probably did they not know about it?

Scott (3:47)

I hope he didn't, because he seems so sweet and, but now I feel terrible because now it's like-

Lern (3:51)

Now that's gone, the money.

Scott (3:53)

But I saw his quote, he said something like, he's like, it's kind of funny how it worked out or something like that.

Riz (3:58)

I don't know how well GoFundMe works. You know, I've donated on GoFundMe campaigns before. Yes, I am a hero, thank you.

Lern (4:04)

Wow.

Scott (4:05)

Let me set one up.

Riz (4:06)

Nope. Because lying about your identity violates GoFundMe's strict terms of service.

Moon (4:13)

So is she able to then do it again with the correct details and identity?

Riz (4:20)

I guess so. Or she'd been banned from the platform.

It didn't say. It didn't say, but lying about your identity does go against their terms of service regarding fraud and misrepresentation. So the platform pulled the plug immediately, triggered its giving guarantee, returning all $750,000 back to the donors.

Lern (4:44)

Wow.

Riz (4:45)

So I guess they're moving the campaign now to Give, Send, Go, which is another one of these platforms.

Lern (4:52)

Yeah. I mean, hopefully people that felt deeply about his situation since that was real, no matter if it was his daughter saying I'm his daughter or not, hopefully those people still donate and...

Riz (5:03)

You blew it though, man.

Lern (5:03)

You blew it.

Riz (5:04)

You blew it. Now the new backup page has $55,000, which is fine.

Lern (5:13)

Significant.

Riz (5:14)

Still a lot of money, but not $745,000.

Lern (5:17)

They probably won't get that again.