GoFundMe cancels 81-year-old’s $745K cancer fundraiser after identity raises suspicions
Was it just a misunderstanding?
Donald Johnson and Josephine Johnson. Image by Cybernews
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- GoFundMe removed a $745,000 cancer fundraiser and refunded donors over alleged factual misrepresentations.
- The campaign organizer appeared to be a neighbor but was reportedly Johnson’s daughter, Amy.
- Amy said she used another name to protect the family and offered GoFundMe documentation.
- The family launched a new GiveSendGo campaign, which has raised nearly $74,000 toward a $100,000 goal.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Major crowdfunding platform GoFundMe decided to remove a $745,000 campaign aimed at helping a cancer victim due to “factual misrepresentations.” The victim’s family has now fixed their mistake and already raised almost $74,000 on another platform.
In short, Donald "Don" Johnson, 81, a Texas independent contractor who delivers lost luggage to customers’ homes, became the focus of a GoFundMe campaign aimed at raising funds for his wife, Josephine, who is battling cancer.
The campaign was ostensibly launched by a neighbor called Erin Howell, who said she decided to help Johnson after seeing him carrying her lost luggage.
"I think I’m going to be able to stop working, and that’s amazing," Johnson told FOX 4 after seeing how successful the campaign became.
However, after raising $745,000, the campaign was removed, and the funds were returned to donors. According to NewsNation, GoFundMe received a tip questioning the organizer's identity, who turned out to be Johnson's daughter, Amy.
She reportedly told GoFundMe she created the neighbor persona to make a stronger emotional impact while keeping the rest of the story genuine.
In any case, the fundraising giant decided to cancel the campaign, citing its "authenticity and transparency" policies, because "factual misrepresentations" in the Johnson campaign violated these policies.
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Meanwhile, after all the money raised was returned, the daughter launched a new campaign. This time, it's on the GiveSendGo platform and under Amy's real name.
"A lot of you already gave on GoFundMe. We are so grateful. That page was originally set up on my account because it was already established and we thought that would be the simplest way," Amy wrote.
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According to her, when the name on the page was updated, GoFundMe treated it as a discrepancy.
"We offered documentation. They refunded the donations anyway," she said. At the time of writing, the campaign had raised $73,995 toward its $100,000 goal.
