A New Jersey couple, Katelyn McClure and Mark D’Amico,  raised $400,000 on GoFundMe for what turned out to be a lie. At first it was thought that the couple had raised the money to give to a homeless man, military veteran Johnny Bobbit. The story was that Bobbit gave McClure his last $20 so that she could fill up her car with gas and McClure was so grateful that she opened the GoFundMe account to help the sweet homeless man. Bobbit later claimed that he was never given any of the money and filed a lawsuit against the couple.

     In recent discovery, Johnny Bobbit was actually an accomplice in the scheme. It is believed that the whole idea had been planned a month in advance to the viral post. As of March 6, 2019, Bobbit pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. McClure confessed to wire fraud. All three members of the fraud still face additional state charges of theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft.

     The many people who donated to the GoFundMe may have difficulty retrieving the money they donated. On GoFundMe, it is possible to donate anonymously or without an account. This would make it difficult to retrieve their funds due to lack of proof of their donations. This situation may lead to the increase in cautiousness of donors to good causes because of fear that it may go to people who will not use the money for the intended purpose.