An appeal for Donald Johnson, an 81-year-old Texas delivery driver whose wife is being treated for cancer, raised more than $700,000 before GoFundMe removed it. The campaign had been presented as the work of a neighbour who saw Johnson carrying luggage, but the platform found that his daughter had created it and posed as that neighbour.

Johnson’s daughter said she invented the persona because she thought the story would resonate more if it came from a stranger, while maintaining that the other details were accurate. GoFundMe said the false representation breached its terms, so it removed the fundraiser and refunded donors; the article gives no further detail about how the money had been handled. The original appeal said Johnson had driven about 200,000 miles returning lost luggage and was working to help cover medical and living costs.