New Jersey couple’s viral homeless veteran story raised $400,000; it was fabricated
A New Jersey couple and a homeless veteran were charged for fabricating a viral story to raise $400,000 through a GoFundMe campaign. The investigation revealed the entire narrative about a good deed was a scam to defraud donors.
Why it matters
This case highlights the risks of online crowdfunding and the importance of verifying viral stories before donating.
A viral fundraising campaign that collected hundreds of thousands of pounds for a homeless military veteran was an elaborate scam planned by the supposed good Samaritan and a New Jersey couple, US federal prosecutors revealed. More than 14,000 donors gave around $400,000 to the GoFundMe campaign after reading an emotional story about Johnny Bobbitt Jr, a homeless veteran who supposedly spent his last $20 to buy petrol for a stranded driver on a dark highway in Philadelphia. An investigation led by the US Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey and local prosecutors found that the three people had made up the entire story to take advantage of public generosity.
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