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Valerie Roney

Heads up another style of spam/fraud account.

@vlrny I got hit with that one on my SocialBC account this morning.

@PhoenixSerenity 🤬 it's such a particular kind of evil, this sort of fraud.

@vlrny @PhoenixSerenity using genocide for fraud is real tasteful.😡

@stephaniepixie OMG right? And that face looks hauntingly like my baby photos, and I and *definitely* not from the middle east. 🙄

@vlrny

Err, if someone is specifically from Gaza & going through GoFundMe (as opposed to PayPal or other similar platform), it actually may be legit.

These are the terms/criteria GFM sets (reportedly quite difficult):

gofundme.com/c/blog/fundraise-

In addition GoFundMe has a one year fraud protection on any donation so if it is later found to be a fraudulent account you will get your money back.

That being said, GFM charges fees, then there are usually fees for transfer to Gaza & then fees for withdrawal etc, so if you are *convinced* someone is legit, it might be better for them for you to donate more directly through Ko-fi, PayPal, bank transfer, etc.

If you would like to find accounts that have been vetted by other mutual aid organizations, here are some links:

Gaza Funds: gazafunds.com

Butterfly Effect Project: linktr.ee/butterflyeffectproje

Gaza Vetters: www.tumblr.com/gazavetters

(I have a link to an ongoing GoogleDoc I will try to find. If I do, I'll add it here.)

I understand how this comes across as spam & why it seems distasteful.

But it is very possibly legit & you are denying someone in desperate need one of their few avenues of appeal. 😣

Block if you must, but perhaps not report for spam. 🙏

(h/t to Molly Shah on BS for her vigilance, detailed threads & ongoing support for Palestinians in #Gaza. All this info comes from her.)

GoFundMe · Answering your questions on how to fundraise in response to the Hamas terror attacks on Israel and for impacted civilians in Gaza and IsraelResponses to FAQs on how to fundraise for relief efforts and what may be required during our Trust & Safety verification process

@Her_Doing yep! 100% here for legit folks doing fundraising.
This however is a fraud pattern.
Same AI child, same(ish)name. No real engagement, just straight to new account and soliciting donations.
Here's another one:
mastodon.online/@sergiodomeyko

@Her_Doing also reporting this kind of stuff allows moderators to investigate themselves and share trends with other admins.
If something is accidentally legit, the mods are best placed to discern that.
I am not kicking anyone off the fedi by reporting them; I am just alerting admins to stuff that is suspect.

@vlrny

I admit, the child raises a red flag & it is the first time I have seen this. Usually, the photo is clearly a real person, themselves or themselves + family, & most of them have context (surrounding room with furnishings, countryside, etc.)

As for no engagement & straight to appeal, I try to remember the circumstances - very limited internet access (often only through donated SIM cards) & that's their only portal to the outside for *everything* - news, news of their families, appeals, everything - and with no guarantee of another SIM card when their current one expires.

Plus, there can be cultural/language barriers.

PLUS, * they are in a genocide *; they are not interested in chit chat, they are just trying to survive. 💔

I imagine they have to send out a hundred of these appeals just to hope one person might respond. 😣

I don't usually comment on these kinds of things; you are right to report, and quite often, the concern is real.

In this case (generally speaking, not necessarily THIS case) - I did want to raise awareness that not all Gaza GFM appeals were scams; probably not even most of them.

I hate this. GFMs are burn-in-hell-forever odious if a scam, & utterly heartbreaking if true - and it can be so very hard to tell the difference sometimes. 😣