Woman Arrested After Crowdfunding $16,000 For Dog That Had Already Died

Published January 17, 2022

We're at the point where most of us can expect at least one scam call a day, so it's hardly revealing some secret of the universe to say that scammers abound in our daily lives.

But while we can usually see their angles coming from a mile away, the scammers are well aware of that too. So the more we spot their tactics, the more clever they'll be in trying to find ways to fraudulently part us with our money.

And it's certainly true that you'd be hard pressed to find a "good" scammer, but it's always particularly enraging when one of them is operating under the guise of a charity or creating the impression that you're helping people in a bad situation by giving them money.

That was a scenario that over 400 Japanese donors recently found themselves in when they discovered a cause they were backing wasn't what it seemed.

While many Americans can tell you how sadly common it is to see people try to cover their medical costs through fundraising platforms like GoFundMe, it's also hardly unheard of to do the same for animals.

Wikimedia Commons | Ohnoitsjamie

And so it's not surprising that most people would see a Readyfor campaign that 26-year-old Kanna Sudo of Japan started for her dog and think nothing of it.

Furthermore, there was just enough about her situation that she was truthful about for her to convincingly attract donations while she covered up a big lie.

As she shared on October 19, Sudo did indeed have a dog named Toi whose poor health resulted in some serious veterinarian bills for her.

Readyfor

But when she wrote, "Toi has a severe heart disease. I don't want to give up because I don't have enough money," she left out something very important.

As Insider reported, this was that Toi had already died in August and that Sudo was trying to raise money to cover the bills she had incurred before that happened.

This only came to light in January after an anonymous tipster alerted the Nara prefectural police department.

But since that fundraising page gave every impression that Toi was still alive in the three months it was active, Sudo would end up receiving the equivalent of $16,112 from 407 people.

Wikimedia Commons | k_shirai_95

But after she was arrested and charged with attempted fraud on January 13, she would have to come clean to the Nara police about the fundraiser's true purpose.

Unfortunately, it seems unclear at this time what will happen to the raised funds now that the lie has been exposed.

Although Insider reached out to Readyfor to ask whether the backers will be refunded as a result of this investigation, they received no response.

h/t: Insider

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