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NBC News
· collected 2026-09-28 · by David K. Li
GoFundMe removed a fundraising campaign intended to help Donald and Josephine Johnson, an elderly Texas couple facing cancer bills, after identifying "factual misrepresentations" in the account provided by the fundraiser. The campaign had raised nearly $290,000 before being taken down. Erin H., who started the GoFundMe page, claimed to have seen 81-year-old Donald Johnson struggling with luggage while working a physically demanding job to cover medical expenses for his wife's cancer treatment. However, without specifying details, GoFundMe stated that the campaign violated its terms of service and refunded all donors to protect the integrity of donations on the platform.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Donald Johnson, an 81-year-old Texas man from The Colony near Dallas, gained national attention after being seen by Erin Howell on her doorbell camera struggling to carry heavy luggage up stairs while working as an independent contractor for lost luggage delivery. He started the job three years ago when his wife, Josephine, was diagnosed with cancer to help cover medical bills.
The footage went viral and sparked a GoFundMe campaign that initially raised over $281,000 to ease Johnson’s financial burden. However, GoFundMe shut down the fundraiser after discovering that Howell was actually Johnson's daughter, Amy, who misrepresented herself as a neighbor to raise funds more effectively.
GoFundMe stated they identified "factual misrepresentations," leading them to deactivate the page and refund all donations to ensure their platform remains trustworthy. Despite the shutdown, Amy maintained the authenticity of her parents' story but admitted using a pseudonym to connect better with potential donors.
Written for “Texas Delivery Driver GoFundMe Contro…” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.
GoFundMe pulled the plug on a campaign to raise money for an elderly Texas couple after the husband went viral for working a back-breaking job to cover his wife’s mounting bills for cancer treatment, the platform said Sunday.
asserted
platform → pull → treatment
The digital fundraising site said it “identified factual misrepresentations,” but did not immediately reveal what kind of misrepresentations were behind its decision to end the campaign set to benefit Donald and Josephine Johnson.
asserted
kind → say → Johnson
The GoFundMe gained national attention and raised nearly $290,000 before it was pulled down.
asserted
it → gain → 290,000
The campaign was started by a concerned stranger, identified as “Erin H,” who said she spotted on her Ring camera the 81-year-old husband struggling to carry heavy luggage up a flight of stairs.
asserted
husband → start → stairs
The organizer said she asked why he working such a physically demanding job at his age, and Johnson said his wife was fighting cancer and this was the only job he could find to pay the overwhelming hospital bills.
But somewhere along the line, GoFundMe said it found “misrepresentations” in the campaign.
uncertain
it → say → campaign
“Our Trust & Safety team identified factual misrepresentations, which directly violates our Terms of Service,” the platform said in a statement to NBC News on Sunday.
asserted
platform → identify → Sunday
“As a result, the fundraiser has been removed and all donors have been refunded.”
asserted
donors → remove → result
The platform said it has no choice but to take tough action in order to maintain trust with donors.
asserted
it → say → donors
“Ensuring GoFundMe is a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority.
asserted
GoFundMe → ensure → help
Taking action like this allows GoFundMe to protect donors’ generosity and our continued ability to support people who are fundraising to help others,” GoFundMe said.
asserted
GoFundMe → take → others
“GoFundMe’s policies, along with those of our payment processors, require authenticity and transparency for donors, and are strictly enforced,” it said.
asserted
it → require → donors
“Because that standard wasn’t met here, donors were protected under our GoFundMe Giving Guarantee, which guarantees a full refund in the rare case something isn’t right.”
asserted
something → meet → case
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