Go Fund Me Scam beneficiary may have been mastermind of plot

[cyclonefence]

According to today's Philadelphia Inquirer, Johnny Bobbitt, the homeless vet who sprang to international fame as the man who gave his last $20 to a stranded young woman motorist, who then set up Go Fund Me page for him, described a similar story in 2012. On his facebook page in 2012 Bobbitt wrote about rescuing a young woman who was stuck in a Walmart parking lot, out of gas and with a spare tire. No one volunteered to help her (and her young children!), so he used the last of his money for gas, and he changed her tire.

Bobbitt has been portrayed of late as the victim of greedy yuppies who raised tons of money for him, then used that money to fund their own lifestyle, with expensive cars and gambling sprees. It seems that they did make free with money meant for him, but it turns out that the whole sleazy idea might have been his in the first place.

For some reason, this story which appeared in the print version of today's Inquirer isn't yet posted in their online edition, but here is it from People's website:

https://people.com/human-interest/homeless-man-gofundme-scam-told-similar-story-facebook-2012/

[LisaL]

1. He hasn't collected any money off the 2012 story as far as I know.

The story was posted on his facebook. She had known of his facebook.
Her texts are out there, from what I has seen of her texts, they don't suggest homeless guy was the mastermind.
Here is what she texted when she started the campaign. She didn't claim homeless guy came up with the idea.

“The gas part is completely made up but the guy isn’t," the text said. "I have to make something up to make people feel bad.”
http://nj1015.com/kate-mcclures-lawyer-calls-her-too-naive-to-mastermind-gofundme-hoax/

[SMC22307]

3. That text doesn't prove that Bobbitt wasn't part of the initial planning.

It sounds as if he planted the seed and the couple nurtured it. Did McClure's friend report the scam to law enforcement after reading the texts? Did Bobbitt's brother know about the scam? I read that Bobbitt and he wanted to take off to Montana. Everyone in that orbit sounds pretty sleazy.

[LisaL]

2. There are some texts that suggest they started the campaign without maybe the homeless guy knowing.

Her friend was concerned the gas story was going to backfire (since the gas story was fake) and wanted her to tell the homeless guy. That really doesn't suggest homeless guy was a mastermind. Otherwise why would they need to tell him, he would have already known.


"“They’re gonna interview him one day and ask him! But you need to tell him first. Make sure he knows,” the friend is alleged to have messaged.

“Yeah we will tell him ... this week we have to,” McClure texted back, according to the probable cause statement."

http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/20181115/prosecutor-good-samaritan-gofundme-story-was-scam

[SMC22307]

4. Now that one makes her sound like the mastermind. (n/t)

[cyclonefence]

5. It's just suspicious to me that the story they used was pretty much

exactly the story Bobbitt posted back in 2012. As I understand it, the young couple somehow met Bobbitt, liked him, and wanted to help him. The story was concocted--and there's no question the story was his creation--and then it all went to hell. The woman's friends asked her why she didn't call them when she found herself stranded, and she essentially gave them the truth--how they kept quiet all this time is a testimony to their friendship. The GoFundMe took off, and misbehavior ensued. But it was all a scam from the get-go, and the homeless guy was in on it--at the very least--from the beginning.

I am assuming the 2012 story was fiction as well, but maybe it really happened.