Davenport, others accuse GOFundMe of deception
By: Amanda Wallace
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and several others are calling on GoFundMe to take immediate action, alleging that the platform cerated "donation web pages" for over 1.4 million charities without their knowledge, plagiarizing their identities, and collected "significant fees" form donors by asking them to pay an additional fee directly to the company in the from of a default "tip."
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A letter to the company, signed by Davenport along with 21 other attorneys general and charitable regulators, explains that GoFondMe's practices may have :deceived and confused donors."
..... The letter alleges that GoFondMe violated state consumer protection and charitable solicitation laws, and it calls days,on the company to respond within 14 days.
In a statement to NorthJersey.com on March 4, [2026] GoFundMe said it previously made changes hat directly addressed the concerns outlined in the letter.
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"After hearing feedback from nonprofit, leaders ion October, [2026] we acted quickly to make nonprofit pages fully opt-in, removed and de-indexed unclaimed pages, and turned off search engine optimization by default," read the emailed statement, which later added, "We welcome the opportunity to share with the attorneys general the concrete steps we have already implemented in response to the issue raided."
..... "Nonprofits and charities work hard to earn credibility with donors and the public. that credibility is needlessly undermined when a donation platform engages in misconduct and deceives the public, Davenport said in a March 3 [2026] news release. "A trusted platform that claims to support donors should be transparent and up front about its product. Using dealt settings that push donors to pay hefty fees in the form of 'tips' undermines the spirit of giving that GoFundMe claims to support."
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The release said GoFundMe's unauthorized donation pages contained inaccurate information about charities and where the donations were going.
..... In addition, Davenport said, the company may have used search engine optimization that caused its donation pages to appear above official fundraising campaigns, "potentially diverting prospective donors or worse, the public in need of charitable services."
..... As detailed in the letter, public reporting indicates that GoFundMe's
donation 16.5%. that tip, the releases said, went directly to GoFundMe rather than to the charity.
..... "Requiring donors to opt out of a preselected 'tip' rather than allowing them to opt in to a transparently disclosed fee can result in significant hidden or disguised fee payments," the state Attorney General's Office wrote.
..... The letter asks GoFundMe to provide proof that it has removed all unauthorized web pages and to disclose all information that affects a person's decision to donate, among other things.