Sometimes GoFundMe is fine, sometimes very bad … and sometimes, off the beaten path

The scandal over a New Jersey couple's mismanagement of a $ 400,000 GoFundMe account they created for a homeless Samaritan illuminated the wide range of ways that the crowdfunding platform has helped – and horrified – since its creation in 2010.

The GoFundMe website indicates that it has served as a vehicle through which more than $ 5 billion has been raised for inspiring campaigns by incredible people. And many who have created accounts are laudable, seeking to help people in extreme distress.

For example, video game giant Electronic Arts has partnered with GoFundMe to help raise $ 2 million for filming victims of August 26 at a Florida video game tournament – including 1 million from EA.

Last year, a GoFundMe campaign raised more than $ 11.4 million in donations, after a group of shots in Las Vegas killed 58 people and injured hundreds of others .

But there were scammers, greedy money-hunters and others who enjoy the emotions of generosity and compassion.

Several GoFundMe campaigns have been launched by people who fraudulently declare to have cancer or breastfeed a child on his deathbed. Others have collected huge sums for someone who deserved it, and then got away with it.

In the midst of positive and negative campaigns, there have been breathtaking demands, some quite odd, but even more crazy, some of these fringing attempts are actually donations.

Remember the campaign that friends of ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok have launched to help cover his legal fees and his "loss of income"? To date, he has raised $ 461,741, on a goal of $ 500,000.

Then there was Toys R Us CEO Isaac Larian, who raised a GoFundMe effort called #SaveToysRUS – to raise $ 1 billion after the retailer filed for bankruptcy.

"A billionaire toy maker is asking the guilty, nostalgic and Amazonian-loving public to bear the financial burden of meat-picking from Toys R Us," the GoFraudMe website said. popular fundraising platform. "Request a modest $ 1 billion, and not have a solid plan beyond an offer to acquire Toys R Us assets as part of the bankruptcy process" if the campaign attracts enough suckers. "

Next, GoFraudMe asked, "Remember when GoFundMe was all about healthy charitable projects like helping sick kids, funding the retirement of sellers of hardworking older Latino popsicles …?

The calls and emails to GoFundMe for a comment have not been returned.

According to the platform's website: "Every day, thousands of people receive the help they need from generous donors. Our team of trusted and security specialists work day and night to ensure the funds reach the recipient each time. In the rare event that something goes wrong, we will refund your donation. If the funds are not given to the right person, we will donate the missing amount. "

Remember when GoFundMe was all about healthy charities like helping sick kids, financing the retirement of older Latin-aged popsicle sellers …?

– Adrienne Gonzalez, founder, GoFraudMe

There were many curious requests, less publicized than those of Toys R Us.

Let's take the example of the campaign launched about two years ago by Dylan Wheeler, an Australian who fled his country after law enforcement accused him of participating in an international network of men and women. piracy. Wheeler, although left for the Czech Republic, went to GoFundMe for what he called an anxiety that worsened, saying his doctor could only be relieved by – you're sitting ? – a $ 500,000 Ferrari.

Here, in the United States, a New York woman, Tabitha Renea West, was changing her mind and wanted a change on her forehead, where she had a giant tattoo of 420 (marijuana code). On her GoFundMe page, West explained that she regretted receiving ink, which had inspired a lot of jokes and taunts, and wanted a fresh start in life, according to media reports .

Some people, including his brother, blamed him for using the platform for something they considered frivolous. But others responded by donating over $ 1,000 for his laser removal process.

Logan Wright, a teenager from Ohio, showed that you can attract gifts with humor. He turned to GoFundMe to raise money for a $ 500 circulation ticket he'd received for trying to get ahead of a Mustang on the way to work.

"The moral of the story is that I have a ticket," writes Wright. "But I dusted off the Mustang, so it was worth it. The money goes to the ticket because I spent all my paycheck on racing car parts. Any extra money, if I am so lucky, will go to the Busch Light and AC / DC CDs. "

Wright received more than $ 2,000.

Adrienne Gonzalez, the founder of GoFraudMe, said that GoFundMe has undeniably enabled many people and many causes to access much-needed funds. But in other respects, she said, it has become a kind of gratuity for everyone.

The case of the Jersey couple who did not send enough donations to the homeless Samaritans, Gonzalez said, "has started a conversation about who does not care about the GoFundMe store."

"It's passionate activism," she said of some GoFundMe donations. "Nobody thinks about the larger picture. No homeless person needs a lot of money. Why do people give money (to the couple) who are not financial advisors, not drug counselors, not social workers and do not work with the homeless?

"GoFundMe is much improved" about scams, conceded Gonzalez. "They know the public is watching them. GoFundMe is just a big part of our lives now. "