JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After Hurricane Isaias slammed into the Gulf Coast, leaving behind widespread damage, donation pages are popping up across Florida. But not all of them are what they seem.
While scrolling through GoFundMe pages from people in the Jacksonville area claiming flood damage, one page made us stop.
The photos showed severe flooding outside a home, but something didn’t add up.
Jacksonville had been dealing with days of heavy rainfall and some flooding in the area, separate from the hurricane’s direct effects.
The post didn’t specifically mention Hurricane Isaias, but it appeared right as the storm was making headlines, asking for help to cover living expenses, replace essential items and get life back to normal.
But the flooding in the photos looked far more severe than anything the Jacksonville area had recently experienced.
So News4JAX did a reverse image search and the photo wasn’t from recent flooding at all.
It was from Hurricane Matthew.
News4JAX reached out to the person who posted the page — and they actually responded.
“This has been a difficult time for my family and we’re not quite ready to share our story publicly. And it’s not my home. It’s fine, little water damage but nothing crazy,” they said.
When News4JAX checked back on the fundraiser, it was gone.
News4JAX also reached out to GoFundMe directly and they pointed to a centralized hub of verified fundraisers for Hurricane Isaias.
If a page isn’t on that list, it is still under review.
GoFundMe released a statement saying its crisis response team is actively monitoring the platform and reviewing any related fundraisers.
They said any fundraiser found to be in violation of their terms of service will be swiftly removed and refunded.
It’s not just fake GoFundMe pages to watch out for.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said his office has already received price-gouging reports in the wake of Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall near Destin Friday night as a dangerous Category 2 storm.
“This happens to be the time when some scammers come into play, people that want to take advantage of this situation,” Uthmeier said.
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