Depher

[Michael W]

There's a story on BBC news today about Depher. Not a name I'd heard of, but I recognised the premise - it was the social enterprise/company behind the viral social media stories "the hero plumber". Essentially, the premise was that the company/individual behind it would complete expensive plumbing jobs for people that didn't have much money, charging low/no fees for doing so. They also paid gas bills and bought food for customers.  Social media likes came in abundance and so did donations. Over £2m was received in donations. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3gxg4jd0ggo

 

However, not all was as it seemed. Numerous stories and pictures were recycled and proceeds (i.e. donations) were used to buy a house and car for its founder. Disturbingly, he also claimed his support had prevented an elderly woman from committing suicide. The lady pictured was already dead. 

James Anderson, the founder, put out what now seems to be a typical response to this sort of thing. He admitted he made mistakes, but claimed there's something he can do about it now. He then blamed "internet trolls" for his actions. A response we've all now seen a thousand times over when someone is exposed. 

Have any PnBers ever perpetrated fraud for some likes on social media? 

Have any PnBers trolled someone in a manner that induced them to commit fraud? 

What other recurring feel-good social media stories do PnBers think are fronts for fraud? 

Edited May 16 by Michael W

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

I stopped my own Gran from committing suicide by smothering her with a tea cosy.

[coprolite]

Someone in an Australian soap had a dog called depher, although it might have been deefer or deephor etc, i never saw its name written down. Depher dog, see? 

I thought it might have been Sally out of home and away but hers was Dag Dog. Maybe it was the Kennedys'. 

[ICTChris]

I don't have any evidence but I bet there are loads of things like this in the charity/social enterprise sector.

I can't really go into details but I know of at least one case where someone who was prominent in raising money for charity was pocketing the proceeds.  Then you will have genuine charities that become bloated and pay massive salaries to employees.

[pozbaird]

I once made a post on here deliberately using one, or maybe more, of the phrases ‘Sevco’, ‘Deadco’, ‘The Rangers’, ‘The Rangers 2012’, ‘The 2012 Ibrox AllStars’, ‘The Franchise Masquerading out of Ibrox’… and did it with half an eye on a green dot. That wasn’t the main reason though. The main reason was because the kunts died.

[GNU_Linux]

BE AWARE

[BFTD]

22 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I don't have any evidence but I bet there are loads of things like this in the charity/social enterprise sector.

I can't really go into details but I know of at least one case where someone who was prominent in raising money for charity was pocketing the proceeds.  Then you will have genuine charities that become bloated and pay massive salaries to employees.

People like to discuss massive salaries at charities, but it doesn't trickle down. Most of the work is done by volunteers and people on low incomes, and they're the ones who tend to take the flack from the public when they read about the wages being paid to people at the top. I've had a few roasters rage at me about how much I was paid because I was a manager, totally oblivious to the fact that I was on minimum wage.

But yeah, there are people who'll pocket money - we had a middle-manager who everyone knew not to allow to leave with cash or valuables as it would mysteriously go missing, and another branch were so brazen about theft that a worker from another organisation told me they'd divvied up donated goods for themselves in front of her. Another manager couldn't believe that we'd reported a sizable cash sum that we'd found, as they split such finds between them. There's less oversight than in commercial enterprises, so you can see why it would be attractive to people with sticky fingers.

[RH33]

54 minutes ago, ICTChris said:

I don't have any evidence but I bet there are loads of things like this in the charity/social enterprise sector.

I can't really go into details but I know of at least one case where someone who was prominent in raising money for charity was pocketing the proceeds.  Then you will have genuine charities that become bloated and pay massive salaries to employees.

Relative worked in third sector and has doubts about CIC's lack accountability money used. One where person was offering something unqualified to do and paying themself. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

One word:

[southernrover]

From Burnley. Say no more.

[Thistle_do_nicely]

2 hours ago, Michael W said:

There's a story on BBC news today about Depher. Not a name I'd heard of, but I recognised the premise - it was the social enterprise/company behind the viral social media stories "the hero plumber". Essentially, the premise was that the company/individual behind it would complete expensive plumbing jobs for people that didn't have much money, charging low/no fees for doing so. They also paid gas bills and bought food for customers.  Social media likes came in abundance and so did donations. Over £2m was received in donations. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3gxg4jd0ggo

 

However, not all was as it seemed. Numerous stories and pictures were recycled and proceeds (i.e. donations) were used to buy a house and car for its founder. Disturbingly, he also claimed his support had prevented an elderly woman from committing suicide. The lady pictured was already dead. 

James Anderson, the founder, put out what now seems to be a typical response to this sort of thing. He admitted he made mistakes, but claimed there's something he can do about it now. He then blamed "internet trolls" for his actions. A response we've all now seen a thousand times over when someone is exposed. 

Have any PnBers ever perpetrated fraud for some likes on social media? 

Have any PnBers trolled someone in a manner that induced them to commit fraud? 

What other recurring feel-good social media stories do PnBers think are fronts for fraud? 

 

Oh, hadn't realised she'd passed away, but vividly mind this -

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/jan/07/camila-batmanghelidjh-obituary

 

Depher reads a bit more open-and-shut, but that excerpt reads more like that Casino scene. "You're either in on it, or your incompetent, either way I can't have you working here anymore"

Edited May 16 by Thistle_do_nicely

[honestly united]

There are plenty of local / small charities that are supposed to be helping disadvantaged kids, struggling families etc where the founders are getting money from local councils / free access to council building to run holiday lunch clubs for kids, sunday meals for the poor etc where the people running are either pocketing the money, or using it the buildings to hold kids parties etc instead, or just putting things on for their families and friends. Its only into the hundreds of pounds so know one knows / cares / looks into it. Local councils get funds for loads of these sort of things and it gets handed out to complete chancers / friends of people high up in councils without any sort of checks.

Obviously there are some very good local charities doing things properly, and making a difference however there is a huge amount of money going into peoples back pockets.

[PWL]

6 minutes ago, honestly united said:

There are plenty of local / small charities that are supposed to be helping disadvantaged kids, struggling families etc where the founders are getting money from local councils / free access to council building to run holiday lunch clubs for kids, sunday meals for the poor etc where the people running are either pocketing the money, or using it the buildings to hold kids parties etc instead, or just putting things on for their families and friends. Its only into the hundreds of pounds so know one knows / cares / looks into it. Local councils get funds for loads of these sort of things and it gets handed out to complete chancers / friends of people high up in councils without any sort of checks.

Obviously there are some very good local charities doing things properly, and making a difference however there is a huge amount of money going into peoples back pockets.

Sadly, I have to agree with you. 

The guy behind the recent Willy Wonka farce being a classic example.  

https://tfn.scot/news/exclusive-tfn-lifts-the-lid-on-wonka-farce-charity-chief

 

[tamthebam]

On a grifting scale this is hardly Captain Tom's daughter or George Gallo<CUT BY DIV'S NERVOUS LAWYERS>

As a student we raised money for Amnesty International by raffling a crate of beer. 

There was no crate. But we might have saved someone from summary execution. 

[Central Belt Caley]

Used to see his posts coming up all the time on social media, I did notice he seemed to recycle the same stories but thought it was maybe just the ones he’d got permission to post or something

With the way the country’s went over the past 14 years with more people using foodbanks, its easy to see how he’d pull on peoples emotions to get more donations

[bennett]

1 hour ago, Central Belt Caley said:

Used to see his posts coming up all the time on social media, I did notice he seemed to recycle the same stories but thought it was maybe just the ones he’d got permission to post or something

With the way the country’s went over the past 14 years with more people using foodbanks, its easy to see how he’d pull on peoples emotions to get more donations

 

A vulnerable pensioner would have spent thousands on a botched central heating job and be left penniless,  he would come in and save the day.  While also filling up their fridge with food.

 

Yet he never named any of these dodgy firms or asked social services to look in on them.

 

 

 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

3 hours ago, tamthebam said:

saved someone from summary execution. 

And that person?

James Watt who went on to found Brew Dog.

Happy now? 

[Thistle_do_nicely]

Oh, I can mind back in college - just remembered

woman went round the class (not staff but one of the students), a good 20 of us, took money off everyone to put in a card, as one of the guys had become a dad during the course after his mrs gave birth.

Later claimed she'd "lost the card" and rocked up to a lecture one of the days shortly thereafter, wearing a brand new pair of expensive trainers. Pretty much universally agreed that she'd just bumped everyone and treated herself to them.

Didn't help herself by pleading poverty to everyone wanting a refund either, promised she'd do it but went through the Big Book of Excuses for the rest of the term.

Another guy (on the same course) tapped £50 off a fellow student with a big sob story... then withdrew from the course and blocked him/ghosted him so he wouldn't have to pay it back. Edit: this wasn't me, thankfully, but I did get stung to the tune of a fiver for the baby gift.

 

It's genuinely a bit soul destroying to have to constantly be on your guard against these utter chancers that live life like they're complete goblins out of an Irvine Welsh novel or something.

Edited May 16 by Thistle_do_nicely

[Thistle_do_nicely]

5 hours ago, honestly united said:

There are plenty of local / small charities that are supposed to be helping disadvantaged kids, struggling families etc where the founders are getting money from local councils / free access to council building to run holiday lunch clubs for kids, sunday meals for the poor etc where the people running are either pocketing the money, or using it the buildings to hold kids parties etc instead, or just putting things on for their families and friends. Its only into the hundreds of pounds so know one knows / cares / looks into it. Local councils get funds for loads of these sort of things and it gets handed out to complete chancers / friends of people high up in councils without any sort of checks.

Obviously there are some very good local charities doing things properly, and making a difference however there is a huge amount of money going into peoples back pockets.

 

I wonder if this is an unfortunate side effect of elaborate tax dodges, attracting folk to charitable activities purely because their accountant advises them they can grift £X off their tax liabilites on their returns.

[Boghead ranter]

7 hours ago, GNU_Linux said:

BE AWARE

*A WEAR