Strangers who donated to a GoFundMe page supporting a Texas couple should have received refunds after the online crowdfunding platform said an internal investigation into the fundraiser "identified factual misrepresentations."
Donald Johnson, 81, became a viral sensation after a GoFundMe user named "Erin H," who said she lives in The Colony, a northern Dallas suburb, organized the fundraiser after seeing her older neighbor "slowly and painstakingly carrying my heavy luggage" up a steep flight of stairs. When Erin tried to help Johnson, he told her he was "working around the clock delivering luggage to make ends meet" to support his 57-year-old wife, Josephine, who is "fighting a severe battle against cancer."
Johnson's story led strangers to donate
over $745,000 to the "HelpDonRetire" GoFundMe page Erin organized. But GoFundMe has since removed the fundraiser, the crowdfunding platform confirmed to USA TODAY in a statement on Sept. 28.
"Our Trust & Safety team identified factual misrepresentations, which directly violates our Terms of Service," the statement reads. "As a result, the fundraiser has been removed, and all donors have been refunded. Ensuring GoFundMe is a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. Taking action like this allows GoFundMe to protect donors’ generosity and our continued ability to support people who are fundraising to help others."
The platform's statement continued: "GoFundMe’s policies, along with those of our payment processors, require authenticity and transparency for donors, and are strictly enforced. Because that standard wasn't met here, donors were protected under our GoFundMe Giving Guarantee, which guarantees a full refund in the rare case something isn't right."
Here's what to know about the removal of the GoFundMe page organized for Johnson and his wife.
Why did GoFundMe remove the Donald Johnson fundraiser?
According to GoFundMe, it received a tip from a concerned community member on Sept. 25 that the fundraiser's organizer may not be who she claimed to be. The tip prompted the platform's Trust & Safety team to investigate the claim and determine that "Erin" was not the organizer's real name. GoFundMe said the organizer was actually Donald Johnson’s daughter.
On a recorded call, GoFundMe said the woman admitted to its investigative team that Donald and Josephine Johnson were her parents. Additionally, the platform said she acknowledged that the "neighbor" persona, Erin, was fake, as she believed her parents' story would draw more attention if told from a stranger's viewpoint.
As the GoFundMe circulated, so did a video of Donald Johnson carrying the luggage up a flight of stairs. While speaking with its team, GoFundMe said Johnson's daughter confessed to filming the now-viral video.
Though Johnson’s daughter said aspects of her parents’ situation were true, GoFundMe determined that misrepresenting her identity violated its Terms of Service, which prohibit fundraisers that are "fraudulent, misleading, inaccurate, or dishonest."
How viral did Donald Johnson's fundraiser get?
Before GoFundMe removed the fundraiser for Johnson and his wife, it received a ton of media attention, with NBC 5 DFW and Fox 4 News interviewing the couple.
As of Sept. 28, NBC 5 DFW has added an editor's note to its story: "Since the publication of our original story, GoFundMe has removed the fundraiser for violating its terms of service and is refunding donations. We are working to clarify the circumstances surrounding the fundraiser and our original reporting."
In addition to news outlets interviewing the couple or sharing their story, comedian Matt Rife and investor Bill Ackman made "generous donations," Johnson’s daughter wrote in a Sept. 25 update under the name Erin. USA TODAY retained the update before GoFundMe removed the fundraiser.
"Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you for the messages, for the stories of caring for loved ones with cancer, and for those who gave in memory of someone they lost. There have been requests to interview me. I started this, but the story should stay on Don and Josephine," the update reads.
Also in the update, Johnson's daughter wrote, "This started because I saw a neighbor who needed help. Instead of feeling sad and moving on, I chose to step in. That is the biggest blessing we can give each other. Focus on the good. Always choose love. I choose love, and we are here."
Johnson's daughter organizes new fundraising page
After GoFundMe pulled the "HelpDonRetire" page, Johnson's daughter organized a GiveSendGo under the same name, this time identifying herself as Amy, writing: "Don is my dad. Josephine is my mom."
On the GiveSendGo page, she detailed more about the incident with GoFundMe and explained how her mother has pancreatic cancer.
"The bills are high. My dad is 81 and still works delivering luggage so they can stay afloat. The neighbor story is real. The doorcam video is real. The diagnosis is real. The job is real," Amy Johnson writes.
When describing what happened with the GoFundMe, Amy Johnson said: "That page was originally set up on my account because it was already established and we thought that would be the simplest way. When the name on the page was updated, GoFundMe treated it as a discrepancy. We offered documentation. They refunded the donations anyway."
"We know that is frustrating. It is frustrating for us too. Nobody wanted your gift sent back. Nothing about my mom’s treatment changed. Nothing about my dad’s age or his work changed. They still need help," Amy Johnson wrote.
As of Sept. 28, this page has over $59,000 in donations. USA TODAY contacted GiveSendGo for comment on Sept. 28, but has not received a response.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: GoFundMe pulls viral $745K campaign for 81-year-old luggage deliverer
