A Pennsylvania woman was arrested after police say she faked having cancer to collect money through GoFundMe and Facebook.
Jessica Smith, 32, of Chester County claimed on her GoFundMe page and a Facebook fundraiser that she was suffering from hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer and had encountered financial troubles related to “tremendous medical bills, travel costs, and paying for the care of her children and missed work.”
She also said she was undergoing chemotherapy, according to CNN.
Police said that all the money that Smith received through the alleged schemes was funneled into her and her husband’s joint bank accounts.
The scheme was reported to the Uwchlan Township Police Department in June when one of Smith’s friends filed a report that said she didn’t believe Smith had cancer. A month later, Smith’s husband also went to the police and filed a report that claimed his wife was covered by his medical insurance and provided documents showing that her medical bills had not even met the $1,250 deductible.
Smith was charged with theft by deception and receiving stolen property.
GoFundMe spokeswoman Meghan Scripture said that the crowdfunding platform was working with investigators.
“In this case, the campaign was reported to our team, and we are working with local law enforcement to assist in the investigation,” Scripture said. “All donations will be refunded to the donors in full, and the user has been banned from the platform.”
