There has been a recent surge in local heartfelt on-line requests for much needed help and assistance over the festive season.
However, allegations are surfacing that some, such as the one shared above, are simply scams. For example, it has been reported that a person posted on a variety of sites stories about her freezer breaking and being unable to provide for her children. In the case of the pictured post, people offering assistance have allegedly had their donations of food declined, the on-line poster saying that they want money. At least one person said that cash was handed over on a number of occasions and a local charity say they reached out to help. The charity said, ‘We offered food to support the person and red flags were raised when they declined. This usually means they’re after cash from kind people. It’s so awful that people do this to those who genuinely want to help those in need.’
Comments on the sites where there posts appeared include:
‘I wanted to post something about using this site for begging but decided not to as it was judgemental. I realised it was the same person. There’s a food bank in St Anne’s so people don’t need to go hungry. She was obviously a con woman. Pretty despicable as some people who helped her didn’t have much themselves.’
‘It’s really important that people report these type of posts so they can be removed. It’s sad but people can’t be trusted and there are a lot of con people out there taking advantage of people’s generosity. If people need genuine help they should be directed to the appropriate services. If people want to help those in need please help local charities like food banks.’
‘Scam warning. This woman posted on Nextdoor last week with a story about her freezer breaking and asking for food. The same woman has posted on Facebook (anonymously) with the same story. A charity reached out to help her and at least one beautiful soul gave her cash on a number of occasions. It’s a scam. The woman didn’t want food at all, she wanted money. Selfish, greedy and manipulative people like this make it very difficult for those in genuine need of help to receive any.’
