[Craig T]

The creativity of those online looking to take our money astonishing.

Last year my sister set my mother up with a Facebook account, mostly to follow the grandkids. She rarely posts. Her 80th birthday is today. On Saturday my Facebook page has a post from my mother with a link to Autism Speaks, with a "DONATE" link through Facebook Pay. All the Autism Speaks official photos, etc, were there, and this is written...

"Joann's Birthday Fundraiser for Autism - Help Her Reach Her Goal!"

"For my birthday this year, I'm asking for donations to Autism Speaks. I've chosen this nonprofit because their mission means a lot to me, and I hope you'll consider contributing as a way to celebrate with me. Anything you can donate — whether it's $5 or $500 — will make an impact."

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OK, that's strange? My mother worked with cystic fibrosis patients for 40 years, and CF has always been her charity. ...But it looked legit, so I donated $100. Yesterday I get a text from my sister...DO NOT DONATE TO MOM'S AUTISM SPEAKS FACEBOOK LINK!!! It's fraud or she was hacked.

Turn's out, my mother knew nothing about it (should have known. She ALWAYS wants presents). You might think...80 years old, maybe she did and forgot. Not a chance. My mother can still remember every f***ing thing I did wrong back to my 2nd birthday. She runs all the activities at her retirement community. She's sharp as a tack.

I called Amex to dispute the payment. The merchant account was listed as Autism Speaks. That means, somebody did a good job of mimicking them, and the money passed to a different account, or Autism Speaks is using some VERY unethical fund raising practices.