Attorney General Gentner Drummond has issued a warning to GoFundMe after allegations surfaced that the crowdfunding platform created unauthorized donation pages for more than 1.4 million charities without their consent. Drummond, along with a coalition of 21 attorneys general and charitable regulators, sent a letter to GoFundMe detailing these concerns and demanding prompt corrective measures.
“Oklahomans who give to charitable causes through GoFundMe deserve to know their money is actually reaching the organizations they intend to support,” said Drummond. “GoFundMe exploited the goodwill of donors and the reputations of legitimate charities seemingly for its own financial gain. We are demanding full accountability and transparency, and we expect GoFundMe to comply quickly.”
Reports indicate that GoFundMe used public IRS data to set up these donation pages without informing the affected charities. Some of these pages reportedly included inaccurate information, which misled donors about where their contributions were going. Many organizations only became aware of these pages after being contacted by donors.
The letter from Drummond and his colleagues points out potential violations by GoFundMe under various state charitable solicitation and consumer protection laws. The coalition demands that GoFundMe immediately provide proof it has removed all unauthorized donation web pages, disclose information relevant to donor decisions—such as clarifying where donations were actually sent—and explain how it prevented its fundraising pages from appearing above official charity websites in search results.
GoFundMe has been given 14 days to take down all unauthorized donation pages.
Gentner Drummond leads the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office, drawing on significant legal experience as noted in his official biography. The office is responsible for combating crime, ensuring government transparency, supporting energy sector policies, strengthening tribal relations, collaborating with partners against organized crime, advocating educational safeguards, enforcing stricter criminal laws such as those related to rape and drug distribution, and providing public legal services within Oklahoma (source).
