https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:01:57 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913942 Tue, 14 Apr 2020 13:19:16 +0000 agold 2913942@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@kiddosc: Thanks for your response. I'm not judging anyone. And I don't consider myself lucky. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913941 Tue, 14 Apr 2020 13:01:58 +0000 gotkimchi 2913941@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also have gotten emails for some with with the same name as my maiden name even though she is older then me and lives in another state.<br /> From her work with a picture order - which I replied back to and asked them correct her email. From the cable company and it showed me her bank account number. I also called them and asked them to remove email. And finally from a body wrap mlm she signed up for. I logged into that and reset the password. Hasn’t happened since. Idk if she was doing it on purpose which I can’t understand or is just an idiot which seems the most likely </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913940 Tue, 14 Apr 2020 12:55:24 +0000 kiddosc 2913940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband gets emails for another guy ALLLLL the time. His online medical chart, his fantasy football league, his car dealership. And the guy is a lawyer, so not young and dumb. I would assume someone just typed in their email wrong. </p> <p>The woman's response is a little short, but honestly it's not her responsibility and she's obviously going through something at the moment. And you don't need to judge about her asking for money. Maybe she has a mountain of medical bills, or couldn't pay for a funeral, maybe her dad had no assets or insurance. Consider yourself lucky that you don't HAVE to ask for money from other people due to a personal tragedy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913937 Tue, 14 Apr 2020 12:24:15 +0000 lindseykaye 2913937@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: @laurelew: We have a family email account that is apparently very close to someone's gmail in Canada because we regularly get appointment reminders or other emails that are clearly not junk and not intended for us. I try to reply when I am able (not automated, etc.) but it keeps happening! It's less annoying for us and more concerning that this person keeps using their own email incorrectly and is maybe missing important information. I wish I could figure out what it's supposed to be to write them and let them know!<br /> That said I could see this happening on GoFund Me with that email address and ours very easily. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913936 Tue, 14 Apr 2020 12:23:28 +0000 newlypregnantlady 2913936@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My father passed unexpectedly and we started a GoFundMe for his funeral expenses because we didn’t really have a way to pay for his funeral except for using credit cards. He also worked from home full time while caring for my disabled mom and so most of his work friends lived out of state. It’s also fairly common to receive money at Asian funerals (at least it was at the Japanese and Chinese funerals I’ve attended). It honestly hadn’t occurred to me that it would be weird to give money at a European or Caucasian-American funeral. So we set up the GoFundMe as a convenient way for his out-of-state friends to donate in lieu of sending flowers. </p> <p>I also have an email that’s my first name plus my maiden name and married name. My husband constantly gives out my email as just my name plus my maiden name and so I’m constantly getting emails forwarded to me from my name doppelgänger because my husband can’t remember my email. It may be a situation like that? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913935 Tue, 14 Apr 2020 12:11:24 +0000 agold 2913935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@laurelew: oh gees. That is crazy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913923 Tue, 14 Apr 2020 07:02:34 +0000 laurelew 2913923@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have an e-mail address that is a variation of my name that I only give out to select people so it doesn't become inundated with "junk" e-mails. Maybe a year or two ago I was receiving all of these weird e-mails that clearly weren't for me (Starbucks Rewards, Hollister purchases, high school band info). I even once got an e-mail from gmail that someone was trying to reset my password/log into my account from another computer. I was able to confirm it was not me but it was a little stressful.</p> <p>One day I got an e-mail from a woman who forwarded something as an FYI and I responded to her saying that I did not think that e-mail was for me and I included the state I lived in. She wrote back very apologetic. It turns out her teenage daughter had given her mom an incorrect e-mail address at one point. After that I stopped getting most of the e-mails, however the Hollister and Starbucks ones continue since I need to log in to "my" account to unsubscribe (face palm). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913885 Mon, 13 Apr 2020 17:08:01 +0000 agold 2913885@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Jess1483: Thanks for responding! I sent her a message and asked her if she knows someone with my name, because that would be an innocent explanation of how I could have received an email. I told her I was very worried about fraud. She responded, "check your bank and if not it was just the wrong email." I was put off by this because it did not at all respond to my question. I would expect her to say something like "yes, my neighbor has your same name and I"m sure she did the email wrong. this is not a fraud." Something like that. I have been thinking about all the fraudulent reasons behind this happening. And yes, my email is my name on a gmail account. Just my first and last name. So its weird that someone would misspell their own and it would end up mine. </p> <p>@erinbaderin: And yes, I know there are a lot of good reasons for gofundme, just like amazon. But then there is the behind the scenes and people getting f*cked right and left. I just couldn't figure out why there isn't a live chat feature or someone to talk to about this. And yes. Maybe she is a reason person and just upset. I would probably be upset too if one of my parents died, but as an adult I would never be asking people for money so I guess I just don't understand this part of the internet yet. And now I feel so old. </p> <p>@Umbreon: I'm still checking my accounts daily! I hope this is all an innocent mistake and I'll probably get preoccupied by something else soon enough.</p> <p>Thank you all for responding! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913866 Mon, 13 Apr 2020 15:19:37 +0000 Umbreon 2913866@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: it.does sound weird. I just wonder if like @Jess1483 said, whoever made the donation just misspelled the email. </p> <p>Definitely watch to make sure you didnt get charged. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913852 Mon, 13 Apr 2020 12:50:09 +0000 erinbaderin 2913852@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Gofundme is not a racket. I think it’s almost certainly what @Jess1483: suggested - somebody with a similar name to you made a donation (hence the similar name being posted on the donors list). Maybe the adult woman has a lot of medical bills from her father? Maybe she has physical or mental issues and her father was helping her out? Maybe she’s upset because her father just died and somebody is accusing her or something out of nowhereI feel like you’re making a big leap to assume this is suspicious/nefarious and not just a common mixup. I get emails meant for other people all the time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913850 Mon, 13 Apr 2020 12:30:33 +0000 Jess1483 2913850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@agold: I mean, people can start gofundme’s for any reason. I think many of them are for ridiculous reasons, but people can start whenever they want. I think what is most likely, is that someone made a donation and miss-typed the email so you got the confirmation (assuming you’re email address is related to your name...if not, that seems weirder).. If nothing has come out of any of your bank accounts, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. </p> <p>How did the daughter respond?</p> <p>ETA: our nonprofit has used a gofundme, and many of my friends have also done so with good success. I’m sure some people mis-use, though, and this could be a case of that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913849 Mon, 13 Apr 2020 12:18:31 +0000 agold 2913849@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Umbreon: I haven't yet seen a charge. But isn't this just all weird? Gofundme finally sent a generic email back to me and asked me to explain more. So I reiterated my entire first correspondence to them and am still waiting for an explanation. I'm still weirded out by the responses I received from the campaign organizer, who is purportedly the adult daughter of the dead man. Why in the world would anyone be running a gofundme because you are an adult woman and your father died? Just all screams fraud to me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913752 Sat, 11 Apr 2020 09:20:30 +0000 Umbreon 2913752@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Were you charged for the donation? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/is-gofundme-a-racket#post-2913725 Fri, 10 Apr 2020 15:13:31 +0000 agold 2913725@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I received an email yesterday thanking me for my $50 gofundme donation. I did not make the donation. I went to the campaign and saw a donation made in my name (well, an abbreviated version of my first name that I never use, plus my last name). The donation was made mere minutes after the campaign was opened. I'm sure its a fraud. I can't reach anyone at gofundme. I contacted the person running the campaign, who purports to be the adult daughter of the dead person and she has responded to me twice but, again, this is all screaming fraud because she didn't respond like a normal f'ing person. Has anyone else had a problem with gofundme? Why can't I reach anyone at gofundme? (Similarly, I'm convinced amazon is also a racket, but that's another story for another day.) Please share any experience you have because this is just crap I don't feel like dealing with during my "work at home during crisis" time. </p>