Office of the
Illinois Attorney General
Kwame Raoul

Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, along with 21 attorneys general and charitable regulators, sent a letter to GoFundMe after reports the company plagiarized donation web pages for charities nationwide without those charities’ prior knowledge or consent.

In the letter, Raoul and the coalition share concerns about GoFundMe’s misconduct and call for immediate remedial measures, such as providing proof the company has removed all unauthorized donation web pages.

“GoFundMe has taken advantage of vulnerable donors whose only mistake was trying to support charitable organizations or help others who need monetary assistance to get through hard times,” Raoul said. “I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to ensure our residents who want to support charitable causes can do so knowing that their donations will really support the stated cause or individual.”

GoFundMe provides an internet platform for people to fundraise and solicit donations, including for charities. It is a for-profit Delaware corporation headquartered in California and registered with the California’s Registry of Charities and Fundraisers as a charitable fundraising platform. According to Raoul and the coalition, GoFundMe plagiarized donation web pages for over 1.4 million charities without those charities’ prior consent or knowledge. The donation pages contained inaccurate information about charities, and GoFundMe’s solicitations contained deceptive and misleading information.

In the letter, Raoul and the attorneys general address potential violations by GoFundMe under numerous state charitable solicitation and consumer protection laws. The coalition goes on to demand the company:

• Provide proof that GoFundMe has removed all unauthorized donation web pages.

• Disclose the details of the person’s donations, such as where the donations went, if it was not to the intended charities by the donor.

• Explain how GoFundMe ensured its donation web pages did not appear in internet search results above a charity’s official web site or fundraising campaigns.

Joining Raoul in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.