

GoFundMe has investigators and computer systems that try to ferret out fraud.

If something doesn't seem right, it might not be, Gonzalez said. An image search can reveal if someone is using a stock photo or a photo of someone else. "If someone reaches out to you, that's usually a big red flag," Gonzalez said.ĭo a reverse image search. Be wary of anyone who contacts you asking for donations. Her website tracks cases of people accused of faking cancer and using stock photos of supposedly sick animals to collect donations.ĭonate to people you or people in your social network know. and Richmond, Virginia, has tracked alleged misuse of GoFundMe for more than two years. Gonzalez, a journalist who lives in Washington, D.C. Can you see through their social media profiles that they appear to know each other? Did either person recently create a social media profile? That could indicate that something is off, according to Adrienne Gonzalez. Search the names of the beneficiary and the campaign organizer. Get as much information as you can about who created the campaign and where the money will go, said Evan Zullow, an attorney in the FTC's Division of Financial Practices. If you still have questions, contact GoFundMe.ĭo your homework. GoFundMe recommends that anyone with questions about a campaign write a message to the organizer.
#Contact go fund me how to
How to Check If a GoFundMe Page Is LegitimateĬontact the organizer. Rittenhouse Not Guilty and Pat Collins Put to Music: The News4 Rundown He spoke at a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) conference on charity and consumer protection issues, held March 21. "Disasters and tragedies generally attract questionable websites popping up and other untoward things that donors have to watch out for," said Bennett Weiner, chief operating officer of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. Well-intentioned donors need to be wary of scammers trying to profit off tragedies, consumer advocates say. donated more than $74,000 toward a $20,000 goal in just one day. On that page alone, people horrified by the killing of Robert Godwin Sr. The crowdfunding website shut down all but one of the pages after verifying that page was legitimate. "We often see that the biggest fraud is by friends and family," GoFundMe's safety manager said.Īfter a 74-year-old man in Cleveland was shot by a stranger who posted video of the killing to Facebook, at least six GoFundMe pages claiming to benefit his family cropped up.The FBI says it has seen a small increase in fraud related to fundraising websites overall. Fraud on GoFundMe is rare, the company says.GoFundMe shut down at least six campaigns claiming to benefit the family of Robert Godwin Sr., who was killed on video posted to Facebook.
