In case you weren’t aware, being a full-time YouTuber can be a pretty profitable existence — if you can get a ton of engaged subscribers, that is.
Failing that, you could also develop a sob story and hope to catch a few fish the GoFundMe way. That’s exactly what this GoFundMe page accuses one YouTuber of doing:
I’m the creator of the Stupidity Exodus channel which has a mission promoting critical thinking and exposing frauds. Recently many YouTubers have been using GoFundMe to defraud their well meaning subscribers and it’s time we fight back.
Tonya TKO is a YouTuber who has been called a scammer for many years. Tonya recently flew to LA to live even though she only makes about $500-$1000/month on YouTube and LA is VERY expensive. We believe she premeditated a homeless scheme in order to raise money on GoFundMe for some business idea.
She posted a GoFundme saying she is living in her car and needs $10,000 get a place to say and for a camera crew and animator for her struggling show. Well she raised $12,000 and STILL claims to live in her car.
Unlike her campaign, I offer FULL TRANSPARENCY. All funds will be FULLY accounted for so the donors know the money is going to what they intended it for. Unlike Tonya who asked for money without provided a specific price list and having any plans to itemize her spending of the money. Surely she will use the money for her only purpose which was the original reason all along.
Tonya TKO, who describes herself as a “Relationship Expert, Author, Life Coach” on Twitter, has apparently been on the receiving end of some serious internet ire, as happens from time-to-time when you put your business all over YouTube and cyberbeg strangers for money. Feel free to watch her video if you’d like, personally I could only get through about 45 seconds of it.
She has, to date, raised over $11k.
But let’s get back to “Stupidity Exodus,” shall we? It’s fascinating to me that someone who isn’t using their real name and doesn’t give any details at all about their plan for a “public service announcement” promises full transparency. As far as I can tell, Tonya TKO is being pretty transparent herself; she appears to live off YouTube (!) and lack a place of residence. A true scam would be asking for money for grad school, maybe.
I’ll admit this whole YouTube celebrity thing is beyond me, but why would someone with the capability to create and publish YouTube videos need $3000 to make a PSA anyway? Just make a freaking YouTube video, genius.
And while we’re on the subject of ridiculous GoFundMe pages, can I ask why we always get mad at the person who started the page and not the idiots giving them money? If people would stop funding this crap, said crappers might stop asking for it. Just a thought.