Hey IM's. Just a warning to you all but around this time there will be a lot of posts in local Facebook groups and other sites about someone having a hard time and could anyone spare some cans/toys/food/whatever.
There was one in my local group last night that really pulled at peoples heart strings and had people paying money over PayID until another member said she was part of another towns local group as she used to live there (hours away) and the same person posted in that group as well saying she lived there too. Then after doing a Facebook search of her name she had done it in sooooo many groups. She must have gotten thousands of dollars in one night.
Please be careful and don't just give your hard earned money to someone online with a sob story. There are probably some local run charity groups in your town that could use the money instead if you are feeling like helping someone this Christmas ⤠or if you see a post by someone you know personally and you know their story is true than feel free to help them, but you can't trust everything online.
4 Replies
This is so common. A lot of GoFundMe pages are fake, too. They pick genuine tragedies in the media & create a fake campaign.
I've been put off helping most charities after being at a friend's house & listening to her (now ex) friends talk about which charities give what hampers/vouchers/gifts etc. at Xmas and organising to do the rounds together, so they can spend their own money on booze. âšī¸
I found an incredible, privately run food kitchen charity that genuinely helps people who live in my area, and donate to them. They're unbelievably selfless people!
It sucks a small number of scammers ruin it for the genuinely needy.
Absolutely! I never give money even if I know its a local person. If I can help I would rather give a physical donation like food or linen then you know you're helping with the cause not a bad habit.
On my local "helping the needy" Facebook page, it always seems to be the same people asking for food, petrol vouchers, clothes for their kids, furniture etc...
Like, there's genuine hardship and there's being a freeloader. Quite often it verges into the latter territory.
Yep it's always the same people and with the same story and all of their kids have autism which they mention in every post...đ and when people suggest ways to help themselves they get defensive but if they're offering money they're all lovely and thankful.