Crowdfunding is a great avenue for those in financial distress to seek help from their community.
We’ve seen numerous examples of this in the past year alone, including high-profile ones by Soh Rui Yong and TOC’s Terry Xu.
Those who start such campaigns typically need money to pay for legal or medical costs.
In this case, a woman started a crowdfunding campaign so an abandoned cat that had fallen ill could get treated at the vet.
The only problem was that the cat was in Vietnam, and its medical bills were forged.
Made Urgent Appeal for Funds on Facebook
It all began with an “urgent” appeal on Facebook.
A user by the name of Nora Nur said she had found an abandoned cat, Gogi, in Punggol three weeks ago.
Nora said she initially thought the feline was pregnant, because of its bulging belly. She claimed to have brought Gogi to the vet, where they said she was likely suffering from Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP).
FIP is a viral disease caused by a feline coronavirus that affects wild and domestic cats, and is almost always fatal.
Nora said a blood test and ultrasound scan had confirmed the diagnosis of FIP. The vet, according to Nur, also said Gogi was suffering from a bacterial infection in her uterus.
She claimed that Gogi needed to undergo a hysterectomy, which would cost $800 and would need another $6,000 to treat her FIP.
“Please save Gogi’s life!” the post said, in all caps, adding that small donations of $5 and $10 can save her life.
In her post, Nora shared photos of Gogi and a receipt of a medical bill purportedly from Frankel Veterinary Centre.
Discrepancies Detected By Member of Cat Welfare Group
It was a member of the Facebook group Sayang Our Singapore’s Community Cats who suspected something amiss.
She contacted Frankel Veterinary Centre, which said that there were “several discrepancies that raise concerns on the authenticity of the receipt, suggesting a fraudulent attempt to enlist our services that were never performed by us”.
“We do not have a client named Nur Nora… and neither do we have a patient named ‘Gogi’ belonging to this client”, it added.
Police Report Made; Crowdfunder Admits She Lied
A police report was lodged, and the authorities discovered that there was no such cat being treated.
“The woman had also allegedly forged a receipt to make it seem like there were medical bills paid for the stray cat,” they said.
Nora, a 20-year-old, has since been arrested on suspicion of cheating and forging the cat’s medical bill to solicit donations. A 20-year-old man is also assisting with investigations.
Around 60 people have made donations to Nora for Gogi’s supposed medical bills.
Nora recently provided an update on Facebook, admitting that the Singapore vet bill was a “lie”, and that the cat is in Vietnam. She maintains that it is sick, however.
She apologised and said donors can reach out to her to get their money back.
What Nora will likely never get back, however, is the trust of those around her.
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Featured Image: Facebook (Lee Siew Yian)
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