Community Chat

[GAQShopr53]

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@PhilaLady1 wrote:

The whole story is suspicious from the beginning.  This couple is at a gas station because they ran out of gas and ran out of money.  They don't appear to be destitute so why not be prepared if you are out driving and suddenly find yourselves with no money and no gas.  And no credit card between the two of them?   Then, they just happen to see this homeless guy at the gas station, they tell him they are stuck, and the homeless guy says "here - take my last 20 dollar bill" ?  And the couple accepts the cash ?   And then the go fun me page ???  Sounds like a scam from the very start.

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@PhilaLady1 you just may be right....the plan was to raise the money and split and that's where the deal went wrong...one side decided to keep more than agreed in the original deal...it is my guess the couple just came back from gambling and lost all of their money so this was a good scheme to run on the public...this is one of the main reasons people don't give anymore...you never know what's real and what is not!

[Spurt]

@Annabellethecat66

Our Dept at our office participates in some type of charity at Christmas time.  We decided to do an Angel Tree---these kids were ages 10-12.

And similar to your experience the gift list was outrageous!!!  These kids were Not content with the normal toys or clothes, NOPE---they wanted big TV's and expensive electronics--game systems, computers etc....And one co-worker said, she couldnt even afford to get her own kids the stuff on the list!!!  There was only one sensible sweet child who only wanted an Angel Calendar.  We ignored the kid's list and bought normal toys, and that little girl got rewarded and more than just her calendar! 

@homedecor1

I dont trust "go fund me" requests at all---I heard about too many scams.  

[Annabellethecat66]

@Spurt This same friend told me how her group of ladies at her church 'adopted' a classroom of very young children (forget ages but elementary) to give Christmas gifts to.

So she told me about a little girl that she'd bought a bicycle and a few other things for specifically.  She said she bought her an inexpensive camera and asked her to take some pictures of the family opening the gifts, etc. and return the camera to her.

Well, she never got camera back so while helping out after Christmas vacation, she asked the kid (in a round about way) how was her Christmas, etc.

You know children can be innocently honest sometimes.  So the little girl said that her parents SOLD the bicycle and the gifts.  She said (paraphrasing), "My Momma and Daddy had a party and Santa gave us coloring books and crayons....".  

Can you believe it?  My friend found out from the teacher the parents SOLD all of the gifts for the children they'd given them, had a party (alcohol, etc) and got the children ONLY coloring books!  Also sold the camera, everything and used the money for the beer and whatever else party!

I think that's terrible!  That's the kind of things that really makes me see red.  

I used to give money and gifts to Toys for Tots and found out that where I took them the people who work there took the gifts home to THEIR children!  Never donated there again!

This same friend I mentioned I send checks to her to fill in the name and donate to her church.

Every Christmas I sit and write checks to places and people who I read about and heard about during the year.  A lot of the places are animal charity places.

I know there are a lot of people here who do the same thing.

[RainCityWoman]

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@this is my nic wrote:

Is this the same man by the name Bobbitt whose former wife performed "surgery" on him?  

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I was just going to ask if he had had a wife named Lorena.

[Venezia]

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@GAQShopr53 wrote:

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@PhilaLady1 wrote:

The whole story is suspicious from the beginning.  This couple is at a gas station because they ran out of gas and ran out of money.  They don't appear to be destitute so why not be prepared if you are out driving and suddenly find yourselves with no money and no gas.  And no credit card between the two of them?   Then, they just happen to see this homeless guy at the gas station, they tell him they are stuck, and the homeless guy says "here - take my last 20 dollar bill" ?  And the couple accepts the cash ?   And then the go fun me page ???  Sounds like a scam from the very start.

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@PhilaLady1 you just may be right....the plan was to raise the money and split and that's where the deal went wrong...one side decided to keep more than agreed in the original deal...it is my guess the couple just came back from gambling and lost all of their money so this was a good scheme to run on the public...this is one of the main reasons people don't give anymore...you never know what's real and what is not!

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@GAQShopr53 @PhilaLady1 - That is not the story reported on the news.  The woman ran out of gas at night on a stretch of a major highway.  Johnny Bobbitt is a former marine who has become homeless (it happens more than you know).

He had collected the money panhandling that day and told the woman to stay in her car, lock the doors and he would go get gas, which he did.

He did not ask for anyone to set up any GoFundMe account.  This couple splashed it all over the news as a "feel good" story.

It seems to me that, given the response of the public (they only asked for $10,000 and got over $400,000), their greed got the better of them.

They "bought" him a trailer to live in, but put it on her family's land?  And then evicted him?  They say they bought him a car?  So where is it and why wouldn't he have been able to drive away with his trailer in tow?

They say he has a drug problem and he blew through the first $25,000 they "gave" him?

The only two in this who stink to high heaven, is the couple who've stonewalled and lied and now can't produce any of the remaining money.

He tried to do the right thing for a woman stranded at night.  "No good deed goes unpunished."

[Spurt]

@Annabellethecat66

That was absolutely disgusting that those "parents" sold the gifts to get alcohol for their party!!!  I would have asked Child Protective Services to investigate them.

Im like you I give to reputable charities, and a lot of animal charities too. And I check them out on Charity Navigator.  They break down how much of the money gets to the actual cause, what if any of money goes to the charities CEO, etc......

[missy1]

I am guessing both parties are in on this. (A story they created) They were probably supposed to split it. or something.  Now the homeless man will get more $.

[Venezia]

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@missy1 wrote:

I am guessing both parties are in on this. (A story they created) They were probably supposed to split it. or something.  Now the homeless man will get more $.

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Well, you're free to think that, but it's in the hands of the court and a judge now, so we'll see who was in on what.  And who wasn't.

The homeless veteran (Marine) showed up for the court hearing.  The couple didn't, nor did they provide the documentation accounting for where the money went, even though ordered by the court to do so.

They have, however, posted lots of photos on their social media accounts of them taking vacations in LV, abroad, buying expensive items, eating out at expensive restaurants.

The homeless veteran has just entered a rehab program, so at least temporarily he's not homeless.  (Oh and the "things" the couple bought him were all registered in their names.  So how again does he benefit from this?)

The account has been shut down and GoFundMe is also investigating.

So it will be interesting to see how this turns out. 

[Katcat1]

Greed.  However, what goes around, comes around.    

[libbyannE]

Honest reaction: I’m shocked—by the couple)s shocking indecency, callousness, and immorality and, yes, also their utter stupidity. Why didn’t they keep their hands off the donations and set up a trust and have an atty administer it? There’s a jail cell waiting for each of them now. And they brought it on themselves. I cannot muster any sympathy for them.