Kim, Andrew, and Allie talk all things tech! Today, we’re covering a GoFundMe scam, Ring’s new policy on police footage requests, the latest in AI cooking tools, plus tips on handling situations when kids stumble upon iffy content online.
YouTubers are creating memorial videos for people they’ve never met
Earlier this year, a very dear friend of mine — and a talented 47-year-old cancer doctor and researcher — fell to the ground after delivering a presentation to hundreds of colleagues. All those doctors were in the room, and he passed away. So heartbreaking.
When I heard what happened, I looked online for information about his memorial service. I found what his family posted and made a donation in his name — but I found something else, too.
It was a video on YouTube of a guy in his mid-20s in India reading his obituary. Wait, what? Turns out this wasn’t a one-off but a new business model.
Wait, what?
You can’t make this stuff up. Anonymous YouTube creators are publishing videos about someone who died just for likes, follows and, in some cases, cash.
Take 25-year-old Tanner Kinslow. He passed away from an overdose. Within 72 hours of making a GoFundMe page, the family found almost a dozen YouTube videos across 10 channels — all about Tanner. His parents didn’t know the people putting up the videos.
The Kinslows aren’t the only family dealing with these bizarre, emotionally draining YouTube videos. It’s a disturbing trend.
Follow the money
The Kinslow family was tipped off by a friend about the videos. Tanner’s father, Donovan, told ABC 70 that none of the videos contained fake donation links, as they suspected. The only goal was to get viewers to like, comment and subscribe.
YouTube channels like these are full of countless similar videos about other people. The accounts typically feature creators outside the U.S.; many videos aren’t even in English. I saw a bunch, likely from India and Pakistan.
The average monthly incomes in India and Pakistan are $387 and $287, respectively. Making a few hundred dollars in YouTube revenues is big bucks in these countries.
Several channels have strange, tech-related names, like “Technical Golo” and “tech with munawar.” Why? Those are highly-searched terms.
How to donate to Maui wildfire victims without getting scammed
I have so many listeners and readers in Hawaii. I also lived in Maui for years. It’s heart-wrenching to see lives lost, homes destroyed and the devastation. We won’t know the full extent of the loss for some time.
Scammers are ready to take advantage of people’s kindness in times like these. If you’re thinking of helping out, you need to know who to donate to.
Re-FundMe: There’s a lot of drama here. Donors to a GoFundMe campaign meant to locate missing Hawaii woman Hannah Kobayashi want their money back. The 30-year-old vanished after missing a flight at LAX, but CCTV shows she went to Mexico. The family used part of the $46,000 raised for her father’s funeral; he committed suicide during the search. Don’t give to a GoFundMe unless you know the recipient personally.
$1,370 raised
On GoFundMe for goldfish living in a sidewalk puddle near a leaky fire hydrant in Brooklyn. After noticing the leak, a guy went to the pet store and got 100 goldfish for $16. Neighbors (and the internet) are loving it and trying to make their makeshift home permanent.
Amazon scam gets $100K from fire chief and Vietnam vet
It’s one thing to read about scams and the damage they can do to unsuspecting victims. But hearing the personal stories of scam victims in their own words is an entirely different experience altogether.
Previously, we talked about how realistic scam emails were getting as phishing campaigns continue to skyrocket during the COVID-19 pandemic. One particularly bad scam actually impersonates Amazon, a major company more people relying on today than ever before. Tap or click here to see how this scam works.
$351,178 raised
For a 90-year-old veteran caring for his wife with dementia. A woman started the GoFundMe campaign after she saw Air Force vet Donald attempting to pawn jewelry to catch up on bills. I just love stories like this.