Warning Lesson: Fraudulent GoFundMe Campaign for Camp Mystic Victim

FL woman allegedly set up two fraudulent fundraising campaigns last summer.

A 28-year old woman has been charged in Houston, Texas, with impersonating the father of a Camp Mystic victim to raise money through a GoFundMe page.

P Photo by Julio Cortez / Insert of Chloe Childress, who died in the July 2025 floods

According to a charging document in Harris County, Maitlin White is being charged with online impersonation. She used Matthew Childress’ name to start a campaign for support after the death of his daughter Chloe Childress during the catastrophic Guadalupe River flooding on July 4, 2025, that took the lives of 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic.

The complaint alleges that White, who apparently lives in Florida, used Chloe’s photo as part of her fundraising campaign.

During the investigation, another alleged fraudulent campaign was found on SpotFund using Matthew and Chloe Childress’ names.

The investigation into documents obtained from GoFundMe revealed White’s name, phone number, email address, and bank account number. The campaigns were created on July 8, 2025, just days after the catastrophe.

The investigator also contacted Matthew Childress, who confirmed he did not give anyone permission to create a GoFundMe or SpotFund campaign on his behalf nor to use his or his daughter’s personal information or photo.

According to the court documents, White admitted in a phone conversation with the investigator that she had created the campaigns. Her reasons, according to the complaint, were that she is a single mother of two children who was looking for a “quick way to make some money.”

Under Texas Penal Code §33.07, online impersonation with the intent to defraud is a third degree felony with a punishment of between two and 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.

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In its statement, GoFundMe said, “GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and bad actors who seek to take advantage of the generosity of others. Our team acted quickly to remove the fundraiser back in July, refund donors, and ban the account from future fundraising on GoFundMe. Thanks to our Trust & Safety procedures, at no point did the organizer have access to the total $5 raised.”

With the proliferation of crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe, people should be aware and careful about giving to such campaigns. Also, GoFundMe takes 2.9% plus 30 cents from each donation for its transactional costs.

The State of Michigan consumer protection cautions people to watch for:

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. No incentives should be offered for donations.
• Be wary of campaigns that offer few details
• Fake photos in the campaign. Use a reverse search to check the authenticity of the photo.
• Social media accounts of campaign managers that have very few friends.
• Organizers who don’t provide specific answers to your questions.

Those who want to set up a crowdfunding campaign to support friends or family members in need should heed advice by the Texas Attorney General:

• Please be careful to respect the wishes of the victim’s family and friends. The law may require that you have written permission to use the names or photographs of any person or organization in your fundraising appeals.
• Be specific and transparent about how the funds will help victims or their families and how quickly collected funds will be distributed.
• Be clear in your fundraising appeal from the beginning if there are multiple purposes for the fund, such as funding future community needs related to the tragedy. Many donors give with the expectation that all funds will be distributed quickly and solely to victims and their families.

Safe practices for donations include researching and giving to a well-vetted, trustworthy charity — see the MinistryWatch 1000 database for guidance — or giving directly to a friend or family in need.

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