Fears over GoFundMe boom in fundraising for funerals
Published seven years ago, on
Key points:
- Fundraising for a funeral is one of the fastest growing areas on crowdfunding sites, ranging from YouCaring, MyCause, Pozible and FuneralFund. American research estimates crowdsourcing funeral expenses has grown twice as fast as any other category, and they often receive 50 per cent more page views because the stories – like Breyton's and Aaron's – are tragic and in the news.
- A funeral page has become the "new obituary", said Adrienne Gonzalez, the founder of GoFraudMe, a critic of GoFundMe.
- A campaign starts every 18 seconds on GoFundMe to pay for health costs, someone's dream trip, a funeral or a memorial.
- In Australia, where GoFundMe has raised $60 million in the past two years (2014 - 2016), funding funerals and memorials is the second most popular category.
We suggest:
- Reading Recognizing online fraud schemes and suspicious emails. Updated in December 2023. This article on the GoFundMe Help Centre is a great guide to avoid online fraud. The article starts with........Sharing your GoFundMe fundraiser and properly engaging with your donor network is an important part of fundraising, and we want to help you achieve your goals in both a safe and effective way.
- If you feel like you have been a victim of a scam, please report to the Australian Cyber Security Centre.
