Damar Hamlin Fake Fundraisers Scamming Fans – What’s Legit?
The dark and shady part of the Internet is looking to profit from Damar Hamlin collapsing on the field as fake fundraisers have begun to pop up. According to TMZ, GoFundMe has been littered with fake campaigns claiming to be raising money to help Damar Hamlin and his family. NFL fans are being warned to be mindful of this occurrence to avoid getting scammed.
Fake fundraising scams for Damar Hamlin pop up
After Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field and was rushed to the hospital, the dark side of the web wasted no time trying to take advantage of the situation. Tons of campaigns popped up claiming to be connected to the football player. Some campaigns claimed to be fans raising money to buy gifts for Damar and his family. A few campaigns claimed to be food and/or toy drives in honor of the family. There were even a few campaigns claiming to be relatives of the football player.
Sadly, TMZ‘s screenshots of the various campaigns reveal some of them were successful in scamming a few people into sending some small donations. Fortunately, however, it did not look like too many of the scams had picked up any real steam. Moreover, the outlet confirmed that GoFundMe is aware of the fake fundraisers and has taken the necessary steps to get them taken down.
So, it sounds as if anyone who was scammed by these fake fundraisers will likely get a refund on the money they donated.
Is there a real campaign for the football player?
Presently, TMZ and GoFundMe confirm there is just one active fundraiser that has been verified to be connected to the football player. The Chasing M’s Foundation Community Toy Drive is the official fundraiser connected to the family. Technically, the campaign was started back in 2020. The fundraiser, however, recently picked up a lot of traction after Damar collapsed on the field.
GoFundMe Removing Fake Damar Hamlin Fundraisers Created After Cardiac Arrest https://t.co/SW8yWZ4rIa pic.twitter.com/YYQvdcYDBy
— Ashley (@ohwhocares_) January 4, 2023
An update on the campaign reads:
This fundraiser was initially established to support a toy drive for Damar’s community, sponsored by the Chasing M’s Foundation.
However, it has received renewed support in light of Damar’s current battle, and we can’t thank all of you enough. Your generosity and compassion mean the world to us.
If you would like to show your support and contribute to Damar’s community initiatives and his current fight, this is the place to do so. This is the only current fund being used by the Hamlin Family.
Presently, the campaign has raised 5.9M with just shy of 200K people donating money.
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