Philadelphia Couple Made Up Story About Homeless Man & Allegedly Scammed GoFundMe Donors Out of $400,000
McClure and her boyfriend identified as Mark D’Amico, offered their help to Bobbitt so that he can start his life all over again. Sadly, it was all scam!
The internet contains a wealth of valuable information, but it is always not advisable to trust everything that the medium provides. It is still relatively new as a widespread method of communication, and many people are not yet savvy to identify the electronic hoaxes. Also, time and again cases of scams intending to frighten or cheat the users have come forward. A popular donation site, GoFundMe is a recent victim of such frauds. A New Jersey couple and a homeless man reportedly used the website to scam generous donor above 400,000 dollars (Rs. 2.8 crore approximately). Happily Married Texas Couple Planning Divorce to Fund Daughter’s Health Care Costs.
The original story states a young woman, Katelyn McClure who found herself stuck in Philadelphia one evening after she ran out of gas. Being cashless and scare, she claimed to approach by a homeless man, Johnny S. Bobbitt Jr. who used his own money to buy her gas. McClure returned to the same spot to repay him, and the pair stuck up a friendship. The young woman then started a GoFundMe account to raise money for the man. Naturally, people were touched, and the story soon went viral in the city. Individuals began to contribute as much they could. Meanwhile, McClure and her boyfriend identified as Mark D’Amico, offered their help to Bobbitt so that he can start his life all over again. Sadly, it was all scam! #ThisIsNotConsent: Women Flood Twitter With Underwear Photos After It Was Used as Evidence in Rape Trial in Ireland.
Bobbitt claimed that he is still homeless and had received very little of the funds reserved for him. NBC Philadelphia reported that the couple made up the story to raise money for themselves. McClure and her boyfriend stated that they were withholding the funds from Bobbitt because of his addiction, while, Bobbitt said they kicked him off their property when he asked for the amount. The couple will face charges for allegedly conspiring with the man to make up a story in order to crowdfund. When the scam came into the limelight, in September GoFundMe reported that they decided to give Bobbitt the full balance of the remaining funds he was owed. But their official comment on the same is still awaited.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 15, 2018 10:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).