- Office of the Attorney General
BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, along with 20 other attorneys general and charitable regulators, today sent a letter to GoFundMe following the discovery of reports that the organization created unauthorized donation web pages for charities nationwide without their prior knowledge or consent, plagiarizing the identities of those charities. In the letter, the coalition shares their grave concerns about GoFundMe’s misconduct and calls for immediate remedial measures, including providing proof that GoFundMe has removed all unauthorized donation web pages within the next 14 days.
GoFundMe, a California-based for-profit company registered with California’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers as a charitable fundraising platform, operates an internet platform where people can fundraise and solicit donations, including for charities. Recent reports have indicated that the company has created unauthorized donation web pages for over 1.4 million charities without their prior knowledge or consent. The donation pages also contained inaccurate information about the charities, and GoFundMe’s solicitations contained deceptive and misleading acts.
In the letter, the coalition raises potential violations by GoFundMe under numerous state charitable solicitation and consumer protection laws and demands that GoFundMe take the following actions immediately:
- Provide proof that GoFundMe has removed all unauthorized donation web pages.
- Disclose all information that would affect a person’s decision to donate, such as the name of the charity that would receive the funds, and whether any tips or fees are deducted from the contribution.
- Explain how GoFundMe is ensuring its unauthorized donation web pages do not display in internet search results above a charity’s official web sites or fundraising campaigns.
In sending this letter, Attorney General Campbell joins the attorneys general and charitable regulators of California, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
