It must be unofficial fake cancer day over here at Gofraudme as this is our second case of the day. When will you idiots learn? Do not fake cancer. Say it with me: DO NOT FAKE CANCER.
From the Herald Journal of Utah:
Sara Nicole Kaufman, a 24-year-old Boise woman who previously lived in Cache Valley, has been charged with fraud after she allegedly created a GoFundMe account to collect money for cancer treatments for an illness she allegedly does not have.
Kaufman was charged with communications fraud, a second-degree felony. According to court records filed in 1st District Court in January, Kaufman told people she had Stage 1 melanoma and Stage 2 leukemia.
The GoFundMe page has been removed because of course it has, but we scraped up a cached copy which is archived here.
In her plea for $5000, Kaufman writes:
“I was diagnosed November 26, 2014 with stage 1 melanoma skin cancer and stage 2 ALL Leukemia. My health has taken a turn for the worst very quickly, I’m undergoing blood transfusions 3 times a week as well as chemo therapy once a week. I drive to Ogden for all of my treatments. I have had 2 major procedures thus far, spent about 7 days in the hospital due to low levels and being dehydrated. I’ve had to back off working as much. Many know I cherish my business as well as my job, it’s tore me apart not being able to do what I love. I’m not one to ask for help I usually offer my help. I’m asking for help. Every donation will be appreciated more than you I will ever be able to repay. Thank you God Bless! Sara”
In an update to her GoFundMe page, Kaufman claimed to have bills in the amounts of $83,613.74 for ‘the first 6 weeks of chemo’ and a second bill ‘for 1 procedure’ of $16,208.19.
Police say the house of cards fell down when Kaufman failed to deliver some promised goods in exchange for hard-earned cash. That’s when the victims tipped them off to her scam.
It’s safe to say she was pretty invested in the lie, as evidenced here:
And here:
And her Facebook description which reads “Independant, fearful, full of flaws, fiercely working to stay cancer Free.”
Meanwhile, GoFundMe has generously offered to refund donors after seeing the story in the paper:
A story published in Wednesday’s edition of The Herald Journal about a woman accused of faking cancer and setting up a GoFundMe account to raise money for treatment caught the attention of GoFundMe officials Wednesday.
“Fraudulent campaigns make up less than one tenth of one percent of all campaigns. With that said, there are unfortunate and rare instances where people create campaigns with the intention to take advantage of others’ generosity,” company spokesman Bobby Whithorne said. “In this case, GoFundMe will offer refunds to all donors.”
Whithorne said the company would reach out to those alleged victims right away.
As for Kaufman, she’s due back in court on June 23.