GoFundMe shut down a fundraising campaign for 81-year-old Donald Johnson after it was revealed that the person behind the page, identified as Erin Howell, was actually Amy, his daughter. The original GoFundMe page claimed donations would support Johnson’s wife, who has cancer, but Amy admitted to using a false identity to garner more public sympathy and funds. Meanwhile, a GiveSendGo campaign set up by Amy has raised over $48,000 as of September 28. GoFundMe refunded all donations from their site after identifying the misrepresentation as a violation of their terms of service.
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.
A viral GoFundMe campaign raising money for an 81-year-old man has been shut down amid concerns over the identity of the original poster.
asserted
campaign → raise → poster
The campaign was set up to raise money for Donald Johnson, a Texas man seen hauling suitcases to pay for his wife’s cancer treatment.
asserted
campaign → set → treatment
The person behind the fundraising page identified herself as a supposed concerned neighbor named Erin Howell.
asserted
person → identify → neighbor
However, the fundraising website told NewsNation that, during a recorded call, “Erin” revealed that she was actually the daughter of Donald and his wife, Josephine.
asserted
she → tell → Donald
Donald’s daughter, Amy, told GoFundMe that she invented the false identity because she thought her father’s story would resonate with more people if it appeared to come from a stranger.
asserted
it → tell → stranger
Amy identified herself on GiveSendGo, where she shared her side of the story.
asserted
she → identify → story
“That page was originally set up on my account because it was already established and we thought that would be the simplest way,” she claimed, referring to the GoFundMe page.
asserted
she → set → page
“When the name on the page was updated, GoFundMe treated it as a discrepancy.
asserted
GoFundMe → update → discrepancy
We offered documentation.
asserted
We → offer → documentation
They refunded the donations anyway.”
asserted
They → refund → donations
The GiveSendGo fundraiser has already raised over $48,000, as of September 28.
asserted
fundraiser → raise → September
Meanwhile, GoFundMe says the money raised during the campaign on their website had been refunded to donors.
asserted
money → say → donors
“Our Trust & Safety team identified factual misrepresentations, which directly violates our Terms of Service,” a GoFundMe spokesperson told The Independent.
asserted
spokesperson → identify → Independent
“As a result, the fundraiser has been removed, and all donors have been refunded.”
asserted
donors → remove → result
“Ensuring GoFundMe is a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority,” the spokesperson continued.
asserted
spokesperson → 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.”
asserted
who → take → others
GoFundMe has taken down the original fundraising campaign from its website.
asserted
GoFundMe → take → website
On that page, Erin claimed that she spoke with Donald and learned that he began working as an independent contractor three years ago to support his wife through her cancer battle.
asserted
he → claim → battle
“The other day, I looked out my door cam and saw an 81-year-old man slowly and painstakingly carrying my heavy luggage that had been lost on a recent flight up a steep flight of stairs,” she claimed on the now-removed page, reviewed by The Independent.
asserted
she → look → Independent
“He looked absolutely exhausted, and his steps were heavy with effort.”
asserted
steps → look → effort
The page continued by saying that the money raised would go towards medical bills, allowing Donald to support his wife of 57 years.
asserted
Donald → continue → years
In a video posted to TikTok, Amy explained more about the incident, stating that a neighbor sent the viral footage of Donald climbing the stairs to his family.
asserted
Donald → post → family
“We got an email from a neighbor who sent us a DoorCam video and who wanted to stay anonymous, but wanted to help,” Amy said.
asserted
Amy → get → video
“And so, we all decided that using my GoFundMe was a good idea, just because it was a real account.”
asserted
it → decide → GoFundMe
On her GiveSendGo page, Amy addressed concerns about the nature of her father’s story - insisting that the story is true.
asserted
story → address → story
“My mom has pancreatic cancer.
asserted
mom → have → cancer
My dad is 81 and still works delivering luggage so they can stay afloat,” Amy said.
asserted
Amy → work → luggage
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