There are SO many scammers these days, you really can't trust anyones story at this point. Sad but true. I've seen to much I can't unsee at this point as well.

It's one thing is someone has a truly dure situation (though it's hard to know if it's true). I know cancer treatment can eat up funds and hard times do hit. What I don't get is the people who have no shame. They will post a photo dressed in clothes and holding a purse I would never spend so much money on a and ask for help paying off debt. You see people going on multiple expensive vacations each year who want money for medical expenses. We didn't go on vacation for years after paying off our child's medical bills. We could probably afford it, but preferred to keep a good emergency fund. How do they not feel gross asking for money when they live an expensive lifestyle of surplus?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.reddit.com/r/ChoosingBeggars/
People have been more comfortable with it for a long time

Pretty much since GoFundMe became a thing. That's literally a website for begging.

Yep. A friend passed away last year, and their funeral had been fully paid for, but his family set up a gofundme and kept the money.

I don't donate to any gofundme. I have seen gofundme requests to pay for attorney fees in a divorce. People beg for anything either feeling entitled or knowing there is a sucker born everyday.

NextDoor and our local FB groups it started during the pandemic. That first pandemic Christmas was the real uptick with lots of requests for Christmas gifts. There would always be a couple of people who would post a warning about scams but loudly get called out for being terrible.

Fast forward to the pandemic nearing the end and there was a subtle shift. Occasionally people would go back to those gift and money requests and update the person or situation wasn’t what they claimed in the original post for help. After that I began to notice that instead of posters being sympathetic and offering to buy something or send money, they began posting links to community resources. And that trend has continued. The number of sob stories and requests for gifts and money has decreased.

IMO one person figures out a group will be generous and then just starts making multiple accounts with multiple fake names and stories and photos of kids. This way they have multiple streams of income.

This one mom on instagram who somehow afford a home in a nice neighborhood and all organic food laughed about how her husband buys frivolous overpriced stuff on Amazon all the time and in the next slide she is thanking the people who actually care enough about her family to donate to her Gofundme and she implies those who don't are uncaring. People actually donate to this.

It's happening all the time on Instagram too. I joined for mom humor, connecting with other SN moms and that sort of thing and OMG it has been out of control the past few months.

You have a couple that doesn't work, affords vacations, but wants you to fund their kids interventions. One lived in a mansion, got botox and new boobs and traveled to expensive places while having others pay her kid's medical bills (granted a very serious and expensive disease, but she has no problem showing off she is loaded.) One woman needs help paying off all her debt as she looks fabulous from getting her done at an expensive place, shops at fancy places, etc. I un-followed and spend much less time there, but I feel sorry for the people who legitimately may be in desperate circumstances because now that there is no shame in begging, they get drowned out by the greedy and entitled.

It's a thing. Anywhere that you interact with others on the internet is full of scammers at this point. If it isn't go-fund-me for fake refugee families on Nextdoor, it's catfish romance scams on FB, or employment scams on linkedin. It's everywhere. But yeah, it is particularly bad on Nextdoor now.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.reddit.com/r/ChoosingBeggars/
People have been more comfortable with it for a long time

Pretty much since GoFundMe became a thing. That's literally a website for begging.

Yep. A friend passed away last year, and their funeral had been fully paid for, but his family set up a gofundme and kept the money.

so trashy!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.reddit.com/r/ChoosingBeggars/
People have been more comfortable with it for a long time

Pretty much since GoFundMe became a thing. That's literally a website for begging.

Yep. A friend passed away last year, and their funeral had been fully paid for, but his family set up a gofundme and kept the money.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.reddit.com/r/ChoosingBeggars/
People have been more comfortable with it for a long time

Pretty much since GoFundMe became a thing. That's literally a website for begging.

It's just too much!

U gotta do what u gotta do

If people are giving, what’s to stop me from taking

Ya feel me?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The post that really got to me was the one for a newly-arrived Ukrainian family. They were directly asking for everything needed to equip a home. I was perfectly fine with that and was thinking about what I could contribute that I already had--until they asked for an electric espresso coffee maker (which are usually more expensive than a drip coffee maker). Given how frugally I lived during my 20s when all I could afford was rent and food, I was taken aback by that request.

I don’t understand what you being poor in your 20s has to do with the refugees wishing for nice things.
These people have already experienced enough trauma, maybe an espresso machine would brighten their day.

I take it you have never been to the third world? Well, I grew up in one. I would have been grateful for anything that was actually necessary and would not have expensive requests just because people are willing to give it to me

Right, those Ukrainians were not living a third-world-country existence before they became war refugees. Duh

Anonymous wrote:Grifters. Just like the gypsy Roma people on every street corner. This is what happens when we let everyone into the US.

10000000%
And I don't think this is fixable anymore!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The post that really got to me was the one for a newly-arrived Ukrainian family. They were directly asking for everything needed to equip a home. I was perfectly fine with that and was thinking about what I could contribute that I already had--until they asked for an electric espresso coffee maker (which are usually more expensive than a drip coffee maker). Given how frugally I lived during my 20s when all I could afford was rent and food, I was taken aback by that request.

We donated a loft bed to the Ukrainians in our neighborhood. I think of that every time the mother posts something racist on NextDoor. Your kid has a place to sleep because my Black teen son was generous.

Jesus what did she post?

I got a nasty look, an eye roll and a verbal scoff when our new afghan refugees neighbors asked to use my cell phone to call back home and I told them I'm sorry but I don't have international calling on my phone. I don't! I have the cheapest straight talk plan from walmart! No international calling! Now we get the stink eye when we pass them in the hallway or sidewalk! They were so rude even thought I was honest! I guess they think I was lying!