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How GoFundMe tackles fraud

In general, if someone fabricates a medical diagnosis or other circumstances in hopes of raising money, their fraudulent behavior will ultimately be reported and appropriate action will be taken. 

We have a community of over 50 million users – when a story is shared and the community sees something they think might not be right, they tell us, and our team investigates. 

Fraud, whether it takes place online or offline, is against the law. If it takes place on GoFundMe, our donors are protected by GoFundMe and their donations are refunded. Our team works with law enforcement to report issues and assists them in investigations. 

Campaigns with any misuse make up less than one tenth of one percent of all campaigns. With that said, there are unfortunate and rare instances where people create campaigns with the intention to take advantage of others’ generosity. In the small handful of cases where misuse occurs, GoFundMe takes action to resolve the issue.

When all’s said and done, we want to ensure GoFundMe donors’ intentions are honored and the recipient gets the funds raised on their behalf. If something isn’t right, we will ensure that donors are protected and we make sure that every dollar raised goes to the right place.  

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