A mother-of-four has been charged with defrauding generous people of more than $37,000 by falsely claiming she was battling breast cancer.
Tara Michelle Enoka was earlier this month charged with gaining benefit by fraud, after a GoFundMe was set up to help her with her alleged battle with breast and cervical cancer.
WA Police said a man created a GoFundMe account, which “stated the fundraiser was to assist a woman who is known to him who had been diagnosed with a rare medical condition”.
Police allege Ms Enoka registered herself as the beneficiary of the funds being raised.
The 35-year-old then allegedly created a video on a separate website to assist with promoting the fundraising activity, with police saying she claimed the money raised would be “used to pay for her medical treatment”.
“Between March and September 2021, more than 500 people from 16 countries donated a total of just over $37,000. It will be further alleged between March 2021 and October 2021, the woman transferred more than $36,000 from the fundraiser to her personal bank account,” a WA Police spokesman told NewsWire.
“It will be alleged the woman had not been diagnosed with the medical condition as the fundraising account and supporting video claimed.”
Ms Enoka’s video remains on YouTube, where she pleads with her audience for help alongside the hashtag #StandWithTara.
In the video she claims she has “never been the type to ask anybody for help” but she had learned “it is OK to ask for help”.
“We’re raising the money to help pay for the treatments that I need to potentially save my life sorry that I can be here for my kids to watch them grow up,” Ms Enoka said in the YouTube video.
GoFundMe has said it is “proactively” refunding all the donors who contributed to the fun.
A GoFundMe spokesman told NewsWire it has a “zero tolerance” policy for misuse of the platform and will co-operate with the police investigation of anyone accused of any wrongdoing.
“All donors will be proactively refunded and we have removed this fundraiser,” the spokesman said.
“The beneficiary has also been banned from using the platform for any future fundraisers.
“GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee offers a full refund in the rare case when something isn’t right; this is the first and only donor protection guarantee in the crowd-funding industry.“
It is understood GoFundMe is processing refunds as quickly as possible and is warning donors they do not need to take any action.
Ms Enoka was arrested on June 6 and charged with gains benefit by fraud.
Police have said there is no allegation the man who created the GoFundMe was aware the woman’s claims were not true.
Ms Enoka will return to court in August.