GoFund me Funds not being used as stated

[Brownthomas]

I am probably going to get flamed for this but it has been on my mind a few days.

There was a huge SM campaign to raise funds for a young child to go to the US for lifesaving treatment. I donated and so did lots of people as they raised over 3 million.

At the time I found out from a friend of the child’s mum that the treatment could not be given due to health reasons. However mum still went on TV and continued to raise the funds.

Now it’s come out that they won’t be going to the US as the child cannot get the treatment - and they have lied saying it was due to a recent infection.

Also they are not refunding the donations. They’ve pledged 1million to another child that can get the treatment but no mention of what they intend to do with the other 2.3 million.

This child’s condition is very serious but not life threatening. I do feel for the parents but I think they should not have started the campaign when they knew the child would not be eligible for the treatment in the first place.
Now the funds are raised, it’s not what I donated to and I feel a bit misled.

AIBU to think they should refund or give ALL the funds to a charity related to this condition?

There are 4 children in this country with this strain of the condition. The US treatment needs to be done early, when the child is first diagnosed to be successful.

The child that we fundraised for can not get the treatment due to blood type antibodies.
Two other children have progressed too far into the condition that it would not be successful.

One other little child can get the treatment. The parents are now trying to fundraise. 1 million was donated to the campaign but another 2 million (I think) is needed.

I believe the funds raised for the first child should go to the treatment for the second child.
There was lots of publicity and SM campaigns to get the money raised so recently I think that the momentum to fundraise again for a similar case is not there. Especially as the funds were raised but not used.

@BritWifeinUSA I’m not suggesting that they are keeping it for holidays etc. I’m sure the parents are not even thinking of the money right now and dealing with the confirmation that the US treatment will never happen.
I think that GoFundMe should regulate these campaigns and if it’s not going to where they donations were intended then it should be passed somewhere similar or refunded.

You have donated directly to the individual fundraiser
there are NO limits on what they do with the funds
they would be fully within their rights to spend it on a holiday
more fool you I'm afraid

Why is it gofundme's job to do due diligence for you! Anyone with an ounce of sense and the capability to Google can see how people scam people through gofundme campaigns. You chose to donate, if you are that concerned why not send the parents an email/letter and ask them their intentions regarding the money?

Why is it gofundme's job to do due diligence for you!

Because they take a cut, because they are best placed to do it.

We have lots of similar consumer law - why is it Curry's responsibility to only sell you a safe toaster, you chose to buy it, you should've researched if it's a fire risk?

It's inefficient and risky to put the onus purely on the individual, and there's a strong reason to put the onus on the platform that takes a cut - otherwise the platform is incentivised to allow fraudulent money raising, which is not in peoples interest.

There are obviously balances on the other side of why they don't need to, but there are good reasons why they should.

No shit sherlock.
This happens all the time.

@AlternativePerspective I agree with you totally and that's how I've always felt about the situation OP has written about. It's absolutely heart wrenching but there is no cure.

@Thehop

Can you report to anyone? Surely that’s fraud?

You could certainly speak to police, sounds like fraud to me.

How is it fraud?
You gave money to a person
they spent it as they wished

Would very much depend on the wording of the appeal. Probably time this sort of thing was regulated a bit more tightly though. Fraud is notoriously difficult to prove.

You have donated directly to the individual fundraiser
there are NO limits on what they do with the funds
they would be fully within their rights to spend it on a holiday
more fool you I'm afraid

I think this is harsh. I am aware of one a few years back where people were emotionally blackmailed into giving money person was definitely going to die without treatment. She didnt have the treatment and she didnt die. I think its really unfair to call somebody a fool because they donate to a cause that has been presented like that.

If its legal, it shouldn't be

Go funding accept 10% is a scam but don't appear to do much about it and they take a small percentage. Perhaps notify the TV company she appeared on. They may wish to follow up the story. Try Go fund me direct as they should investigate.

If its legal, it shouldn't be
It is legal
Caveat emptor

Sorry but the spending of donations was raised many years ago after a well known case in Greece, then another in Portugal, then a couple at a well known hospital in London

if you want oversight of your money
do it through a controlled site like JustGiving

if you gave money to someone on the understanding that it was to be used.for medical treatment and it ended up being used for frivolities, the money was taken under false pretences.

Maybe it's not technically fraud but it bloody well should be

Hmm

If you pop money in a buskers hat to buy food
and they buy booze
its galling
but not fraud

these websites are just a big online version of a buskers hat

Don't know why this didn't post

It's fraud!

From the CPS website

Fraud by false representation (Section 2)
The defendant:
made a false representation
dishonestly
knowing that the representation was or might be untrue or misleading
with intent to make a gain for himself or another, to cause loss to another or to expose another to risk of loss.
The offence is entirely focused on the conduct of the defendant.
Fraud by failing to disclose information (Section 3)
The defendant:
failed to disclose information to another person
when he was under a legal duty to disclose that information
dishonestly intending, by that failure, to make a gain or cause a loss.
Like Section 2 (and Section 4) this offence is entirely offender focussed. It is complete as soon as the Defendant fails to disclose information provided he was under a legal duty to do so, and that it was done with the necessary dishonest intent. It differs from the deception offences in that it is immaterial whether or not any one is deceived or any property actually gained or lost.

I know of one who has had a few go fund mes on the go for treatment at a specific Us hospital for the same disease my child has.
I know 100% that the parents claims about severity and treatment are nonsense.
I think they have raised about £30,000 .
this is over 4 years or so and no sign of any treatment abroad.
each time I look there's another one set up

Everyone knows by now that GoFundMe money goes to the fundraiser

There have been umpteen examples of it being problematic. People should be more careful who they donate too.

There was one recently here after a house fire locally. Someone decided to start a fundraising thing for the family involved. The family didn't even know the woman. They were insured and family looked after them until the money came through. They were actually mortified at people donating money to them when financially they were ok.

This isn’t that uncommon when parents crowdfund for children with serious conditions. I’ve seen a few where they’ve raised money and then the child sadly passes away, the family usually later say where the money is going.

Similar happened with someone with a large following on Instagram who lost a lot of weight.

They raised money to pay for their loose skin removal surgery, appeared on BBC news etc and raised a lot more than needed, said they were giving the extra money to charity but never provided proof then deleted their social media after being questioned about it.

I can understand the logic that the money should go to the child still eligible to receive treatment. I can understand feeling defrauded that the money won't be spent how you thought it was but ultimately with crowdfunding it's always a case of donators beware.

Re having the family investigated or not that's a judgement call, if they actively continued fundraising for a treatment they knew could no longer go ahead that's wrong. However does this family need to be investigated for fraud? I think although this child is not be eligible for the treatment and Is now terminal depending on their condition that could be anything from days to years. It's possible if it's on the longer end of the spectrum the family genuinely will use the money to supplement care costs and fund equipment that will still improve the child's quality of life.

Personally I don't give to things like this as a rule for this very reason. You have to have the funds in place before most particularly us doctors will do a consultation so it's likely the parents didn't intentionally defraud anyone and if the money is used to better the child's life is that not what you initially wanted from the donation anyway?

This is always a risk when you gift money to random people rather than making donations to registered charities, unfortunately.

Legislation is changeable; if you have views on how the law could or should be changed you are free to campaign for that.