The Calgary Police Service (CPS) issued a warning last week about a GoFundMe website which claimed to be raising funds to help the family of missing 11-year old boy Parker Wells. CPS said the fundraiser is not authorized and has no connection to Parker’s family. “At this time, the family has confirmed that there is no official GoFundMe associated with this case,” they said.
This follows another development in a separate story in Ontario that CityNews first reported on back in April. Durham Police announced fraud charges have been laid against a family member who set up a GoFundMe campaign for Maryanne Mullett, a mother of 10 who was badly injured after she stopped to help rescue a stranded vehicle near Beaverton on January 1. Mullett’s sister was charged as a majority of the more than $19,000 raised by donors has gone unaccounted for.
The accusations have not been proven in court. While most crowdfunding campaigns are well intentioned, these two cases have both police and charity experts sounding the alarm. “Police are urging the public to use caution when contributing to online fundraisers and to verify the legitimacy of any donation campaign before making a contribution,” a CPS spokesperson said, a statement echoed by Toronto-based charity lawyer Mark Blumberg.
“If you’re ever going to set up a fund like this, you’ve got to do it in a very proper manner,” he said. He advises anyone setting up these campaigns needs to follow certain protocol to prevent fraud. “The biggest thing is the bank account connected with the GoFundMe or other type of crowdfunding should really be that of the beneficiary, not someone else,” he said.
He also cautions donors to do their research before giving. “Too many people donate to charity based on being asked to donate to charity, not based on them doing their own research,” he said. Because if you don’t, then the likelihood is greater that it may not be going to what you expect.” GoFundMe also has several tips on its website urging donors to closely look at each campaign to ensure its legitimate.
They say each page should clearly be able to answer the following questions: -How is the organizer related to the intended recipient? -What is the purpose of the GoFundMe and how will the funds be used? – Are family and friends who are making donations leaving words of support or comments?
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