Reporting a fundraising page AIBU?

[Missoula18]

I have a friend (30’s, f) I’ve known online for 13 years. We met on a Facebook support group for people with a medical condition that we both used to have, and have been Facebook friends ever since. She lives in the USA.

I have in the past seen posts where she has said that things are pretty dire for her financially (she has admitted that she is unable to hold a job down for more than a couple of months due to ongoing health issues) but then the next minute she’s out buying takeaway food and having meals out etc but I never really thought much of it.

Recently, her and her father, with whom she has always lived, moved house and their new place is several hours drive away in a different state. A couple of weeks ago, before the house sale completed, she set up a fundraising page claiming that they needed money for the journey to the new house, groceries, fuel and so on, as well as towards being able to keep their six dogs. Then there was a delay in completing with the new house and so she said that they still needed donations because they needed to stay in an Airbnb for a few days.

Then whilst on the journey to the new place, she and her father were involved a car crash ..they were in separate cars and he rear-ended her, writing off his own car and badly damaging hers. So she was then asking for money towards all of that because apparently the insurance wouldn’t cover them or something.
I am obviously very sympathetic towards somebody who has gone through this amount of stuff, and I am glad that they were both okay after the crash!

They arrive at the new house and continue to plead that they have no money towards groceries and the basic essentials and that they are still trying to get the cars sorted so that she can get a job as soon as possible.
So far they have had several hundred dollars in donations.

All of a sudden, today she posts photos on Facebook of wall canvases she has bought for a couple of rooms in the house! As well as saying she’s gone out for takeaway food.

AIBU to be considering reporting her to the fundraising page? This is definitely not the first time over all these years that I have had my doubts about her situation because of various things like this that have happened however of course now well-meaning friends and family are giving them money and I don’t think it’s right.

 

[Suzesnooze]

I don’t know if it’s a thing in America but one of my relatives who lives in a rough area is always sharing fundraising pages for her friends/families/neighbours. They seem to have no shame!

I wouldn’t report it. You haven’t got much proof it’s fake.

 

[NitrousOxide]

People don't have to donate, and it sounds like she has a hard life. If people with money want to share it with someone who doesn't have much, I'd just leave them to it.

 

[BettyCrocker]

If I was you I would just cut ties with her, you obviously don’t trust her so what’s the point? Just cut her out of your life and forget about it, nothing much else you can do

 

[MotherofDragons]

I'm sorry if this sounds really judgey/bitchy but why move house if you have to beg for donations on social media to be able to do so? Like is this a thing nowadays?

 

[Missoula18]

I'm sorry if this sounds really judgey/bitchy but why move house if you have to beg for donations on social media to be able to do so? Like is this a thing nowadays?

I feel almost ashamed of myself to say that this is how I feel too. When she first started up the funding page, it was because she said they needed money before moving boxes and groceries and fuel for the long drive to the new house...now it’s the car situation.... The latest update is that they are still asking for donations because they are “still trying to get themselves sorted”..! This last few weeks, people on her Facebook have been trying to suggest practical solutions to help them out but she comes up with reasons as to why none of these will work every single time.

 

[BettyCrocker]

I feel almost ashamed of myself to say that this is how I feel too. When she first started up the funding page, it was because she said they needed money before moving boxes and groceries and fuel for the long drive to the new house...now it’s the car situation.... The latest update is that they are still asking for donations because they are “still trying to get themselves sorted”..!

they sound like scam artists to me. Delete, block and forget about them!