Is Your Donation Actually Reaching Charity? AG Davenport Drags GoFundMe Over 1.4 Million “Plagiarized” Pages
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
TRENTON, NJ – In a massive blow to the world’s most famous crowdfunding platform, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and a powerhouse coalition of 21 states have launched a high-stakes demand for transparency. The allegation? That GoFundMe created 1.4 million unauthorized, “plagiarized” charity pages and used sneaky default “tips” to pad its own pockets.
If you’ve donated online recently, your money might not have gone where you thought.
The “Shadow” Charity Scandal: 1.4 Million Pages Without Consent
According to the letter sent by the coalition, GoFundMe allegedly bypassed the permission of over 1.4 million charities nationwide. The platform is accused of scraping data to build unofficial donation pages that looked like the real thing but were never authorized by the nonprofits themselves.
Why This Matters for Donors:
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Diversion of Funds: These “plagiarized” pages often appeared higher in Google search results than the charities’ actual websites, tricking donors into giving through GoFundMe instead of directly.
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Inaccurate Information: Many of these pages contained outdated or incorrect details about the charities’ missions and where the money was actually being sent.
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Undermining Trust: “Nonprofits work hard to earn credibility,” stated AG Davenport. “That credibility is needlessly undermined when a platform engages in misconduct.”
The 16.5% “Hidden Tip” Trap
Perhaps the most controversial discovery involves GoFundMe’s checkout process. Regulators found that the platform allegedly applied a default “tip” of approximately 16.5%.
While donors likely thought this extra cash was supporting the cause, it was actually going directly to GoFundMe. By making the fee an “opt-out” rather than an “opt-in,” the state argues that GoFundMe effectively disguised significant service fees as charitable generosity.
The 14-Day Ultimatum: What Regulators Demand
Attorney General Davenport and the 21-state coalition (including NY, CA, PA, and IL) have given GoFundMe exactly two weeks to provide proof of reform. The demands include:
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Deletion of All “Fake” Pages: Proof that every unauthorized donation page has been scrubbed.
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SEO Accountability: An explanation of how GoFundMe ensured their pages didn’t “bury” official charity websites in search results.
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Refund or Redirect: A review to determine if those “tips” should be stripped from GoFundMe and sent to the intended charities.
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Full Transparency: Clear disclosure of exactly who received the money if the intended charity didn’t.
How to Protect Your Donations
Until this investigation concludes, experts recommend taking these steps before hitting “submit” on a donation:
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Go Direct: Whenever possible, donate through the official
.orgwebsite of the nonprofit. -
Check the URL: Ensure you aren’t on a third-party aggregator page unless you intend to be.
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Watch the “Tip” Box: Always review your total at checkout. If there is a pre-checked box for a platform fee or tip, manually adjust it to $0 if you want 100% of your gift to go to the cause.
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Tags: #GoFundMe #CharityWatch #ConsumerProtection #AGDavenport #NJNews #TechScams #GivingWisely
