Alleged GoFundMe Fraud

Daughter Accused of Stealing Her Mother’s Funeral Funds By Estranged Uncle

Melissa Alvarez Gofundme

As much as we hate making a ‘story’ out of he-said-she-said Facebook drama, we can’t help but share this story as it goes to show that sometimes you can’t even trust your own family to do the right thing. At least, that’s what David Wilson is accusing his niece of failing to do.

He writes:

To all those the friends and family of Melissa Wilson / Alvarez who donated to help get Melissa laid to rest – her own daughter Starr Alvarez did not go pay the balance to get her processed for a funeral has kept the money and dodged calls to do so has left her to the state to be disposed.

After all the time, days and arguing with the state to help that I David her brother put in to get her help. The state has a process which I could not an had no control of, but pleaded for the morg [sic] to work with me not to dispose of her. In which they did give more time, but Starr would not get back in touch with me or Tyler her cousin to do her part since she had control of the money donated to do so from you all who donated.

She had her dad Conrad Alvarez contact us because she did not want to talk to us which was at the deadline in which he said to let him handle her and he would make sure shed do so I guess never did.

Im so upset that my sister after all the bs i had to go through did not get a proper laying to rest to be with her sister and mother.

Pass this along! Its not over, she committed fraud and the GoFundMe page will help me prosecute. Sorry she is greedy and only thought of herself, action Will be taken for my sister.

We have reached out to David for comment, and will update if and when we are able to touch base with him.

Starr’s GoFundMe page is still up, although it has been closed to new donations. We have also saved an archived copy of the campaign here, because you know those sneaky GoFundMe pages have the funniest tendency to just disappear sometimes.

In her plea for $800 (of which she raised $675), Starr writes:

“I’m looking to raise money for the funeral cost for my mother. She passed away last night, May 3rd. It costs a lot to be cremated and while working and still going to school I can’t come up with how much it costs. She didn’t have much family, and the family she did have doesn’t have much money either! I know times are rough but every little bit counts.”

Here we go again with the GoFundMe page slapped up before the body is even cold. Listen, we got into a really heated discussion about this last time I dared to question how appropriate it is to immediately turn to GoFundMe when a loved one dies but you know what? Someone has to ask those questions. And this — if David’s allegations are true — is why we ask them.

Moving on, this story wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t pass along another relevant GoFundMe page, the one started by David Wilson on May 3 — the same day as Starr fired up hers.

Melissa Wilson Gofundme page

In his plea for $3000, he writes:

“In the past 6yrs I’ve lost my mother, other sister (Melissa’s twin), girlfriend and a couple friends lost to cancer and whatnot.

Melissa has two daughters, Starr Alvarez 18 on the 23rd and Hailey Mae Livley/Casper that just turned 10. Both lost to the system since Melinda’s death in 2012.

I lost a lot that year, far as my heart!
Anyway, Melissa was on disability, no insurance – so no help. I’m still dealing with my own cancers and health. My brother is blind in one eye on SSI himself too!

Tyler Hartley 17 , Melinda’s son is all family I have and mostly no contact. Melissa an Melinda’s Dad is not my father, and theirs has not been in their life really, so its me to make sure my baby sister is properly taken care of and put with my mother and sister which I have them both in a angel yurn.

I live hour an half north, my brother lives in Monroe, she is in Lincoln Park. Kids and some friends live in Downriver area, but rest of kin (distant family) all in Genesee county.

And I don’t have a vehicle at this time, so I have to pay to get where I’m going to need to go. I ask the Lord to please help and this idea was given to me! 🙂 God is good and willing he’ll bring it together I pray.

Its hard to ask for help, but then I’m reminded as a christian to ask and recieveth through the Lord Jesus. I’ll be forever in dented to those who help! I can’t let her just pass in vain, she would of made sure I got properly done too I’d like to think. She an I did it for our mother and sister, even some friends too.

I hope she has some friends out their to help even. Contact GoFundMe for any questions. If can give some guidance may help too, I feel so lost in emotion.

Pray for me strength dealing with this terrible loss, now both sisters that I help raise with mom when young. They were my Doublement Twins, lol, my baby girls-now both gone. I pray her soul was right before God. Just sad, I didn’t get to tell her I forgave her! It hurts! :(”

Once again, here is an archived copy of that GoFundMe page just in case it up and disappears of the ole internets.

So what do you think? A case of GoFundMe jealousy? Definite fraud? Hell, for all we know Melissa Wilson never existed at all and this is just some hot scammer-on-scammer action. Given that David himself admits he hadn’t spoken to his sister for at least a year before she died, perhaps it’s just a case of misunderstanding and disconnected relatives trying to figure out whose job it is to bury their loved one.

*makes popcorn*