A woman raised money on GoFundMe after saying she was “stuck in Atlanta” following the NBA All-Star weekend and needed help getting home. The fundraiser was later deleted, and she wrote that she was “headed to the bank.” But the campaign continued trending as people wondered why strangers would fund her trip.
The campaign organizer, “Yazz Theestallion,” wrote that she went to Atlanta with $400 and became stranded when her unemployment check did not clear in time to go home. The original post was deleted, but only after it generated $1,604.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Organizer Claimed She Was Stranded & Needed Money to Go Home to New York & More Than $1,600 Was Donated
The GoFundMe page organized by Yazz Theestallion shared a photo of a woman and a story about getting stranded in Atlanta. She said she bought a one-way ticket to NBA All-Star Weekend, but got stuck because her unemployment check did not clear so she could return home to New York.
“I went to Atlanta for all star weekend with $400 only booked a one way because I was waiting on my unemployment to pay my way back but they baited I need help surviving and making back home to New York please anything will help!!!” Yazz Theestallion wrote on the GoFundMe page.
The page was deleted within less than 19 hours. In that time period, the fundraiser received $1,604 in donations from more than 50 donors.
GoFundMeComments from donors on the GoFundMe page asking for help getting home from Atlanta.
An alert on the link says, “This fundraiser is no longer accepting donations. If you are the organizer, beneficiary, team member, or donor, sign in to see additional information.”
While the organizer wrote she lives in New York, her GoFundMe profile says she lives in Philadelphia. The page was named “I Need Help Getting Back Home I’m Stuck In ATL.” It was listed under “accidents and emergencies.”
Some donors wrote messages along with their donations, like “get it together shorty,” “broke b****,” and “Now you know better, do better.”
Yazz Theestallion Wrote on Facebook She Was Headed to the Bank
A Facebook profile using the same name and profile took to Facebook to share her fundraising page, and said she was headed to the bank hours after the fundraiser was posted.
“On my way to the bank,” she wrote. “thank you all.”
ProSportsExtra and IceCreamConvos reported the fundraiser was a scam.
“UPDATE: This was entirely fake. She wasn’t in Atlanta. She was doing this all to get money from people. She was trying to scam people. But if you’re dumb enough to donate to her then…. I don’t know what to say,” ProSportsExtra wrote.
IceCreamConvos wrote, “The young lady has taken to Facebook to say it was a joke (see also “scam”) and that she’s on her way to the bank.”
Many people commented on her posts, saying they believed the fundraiser was a scam. Others were shocked that strangers supported her, and said she should not have left her state without money to return. She posted she was enjoying the “jokes” and shared a series of fundraisers from others trying to raise money with the same claim.
“4.1k viewers,” she wrote, followed by seven laughing emojis. “yall salty asf.”
It was not clear whether the donations were actually cashed. GoFundMe has a policy and a claims process designed to protect donors in scams, and they do not immediately release funds from donors.
“Nearly all GoFundMe fundraisers are accurate and funds are delivered and used for their stated purpose. In the rare occurrence of misuse, the GoFundMe Guarantee (the “Guarantee” or “Policy”) ensures that donations and donors are protected,” the GoFundMe Guarantee policy says. “Most conflicts are not actual misuses of the GoFundMe Platform, and organizers work to answer questions and resolve donors’ and beneficiaries’ concerns quickly. But if your issue is not sufficiently addressed, then we are here to help.”
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