Scam warning: (Was: Sharing for a couple who could really use some help)
I’ve been in some really tough spots before (including sleeping out of my car and crashing on friend’s couches), and know first hand how completely shitty it is when you don’t have anyone you can turn to. If anyone can send a bit help their way - even if it’s just some good energy, or advice on where they can get additional assistance, they could really use it right now.
No one should have to be faced with this kind of choice. :(
http://bribroken.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/a-few-words-from-aj-dignity/
These people are grifters (scam artists) who have been working their way through various communities for several years, preying on people’s goodwill. Pray for them, send good energy, but DO NOT GIVE THEM MONEY OR GIFTS unless you’re happy to have your charity abused and wasted.
They’ve been banned from multiple online communities for scamming their members by pretending to share their beliefs and troubles, then pleading that they’re on the brink of homelessness and just need a little help to regain stability etc etc, and people send them what has amounted to well over $10,000 in public donations, plus gifts and items from her wish list, pay her rent, or buy her jewelry to help out (which almost never got delivered. Her Etsy account was deleted for ripping people off (most notably, the Lokean community and Regretsy’s forum), not because of some technical issue, like she claims.)
The Trans* community in Boston even held fundraisers for them, and got burned for their generosity and support. Playing the “I’m trans* so I’m going to be raped (if you don’t pay our rent)” card because no one donated to their latest Chipin campaign is despicable, when you know it’s a ploy for donations. Of course, they were magically able to pay another weeks rent at the last minute, but in the 2 weeks squatting at that hotel still couldn’t be arsed to go down to the Chattanooga Community Kitchen for 3 free hot meals a day and access to every social service with help to apply for them, trans* friendly night shelters, free medical care and a ton of other services.
Someone identifying herself as one of their victims has recently begun posting about their scams publicly (there are huge threads about them on other message boards but you need to log in to those), because they had to move to a new area once too many people caught onto their game in Salem, and are preying on a new community of good hearted people in Chattanooga.
You can verify everything posted by reading back through Bri’s blog, and seeing how long she’s been at this and how many times she’s used the same excuses for needing emergency donations week after week and why every free/low cost housing solution they’ve been given has turned sour.
http://scammingscorpios.wordpress.com/
http://scammingscorpios.wordpress.com/2012/06/24/purpose/
“Bri and AJ are social parasites. They infect the community that takes them in and nearly destroys it. Once no one is willing to step up for them anymore, they move on. An example is the trans community in Boston. After all the lies, deceit and just plain bullshit, they were forced to move on. Now they’re infecting the pagan community. Watch out.”
