GoFundMe shuts down $281K fundraiser for 81-year-old helping wife with cancer bills

GoFundMe has shut down a fundraiser that raised more than $281,000 for an 81-year-old Texas man who reportedly delivered lost luggage to help pay for his wife’s cancer treatment.

According to The Independent, the campaign was created after Erin Howell spotted Donald Johnson struggling to carry heavy luggage and learned he was working to support his wife, Josephine.

However, GoFundMe removed the fundraiser after an investigation.

“Our Trust & Safety team identified factual misrepresentations, which directly violates our Terms of Service,” a spokesperson said.

“As a result, the fundraiser has been removed and all donors have been refunded,” the company added.

The fundraiser had collected more than $281,000 before being deactivated. Johnson and his wife had earlier expressed gratitude to donors, with Johnson saying, “I think I’m going to be able to stop working, and that’s amazing.”

GoFundMe has not disclosed the specific factual misrepresentations it uncovered during its investigation of the fundraising campaign.