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San Diegans hit by government shutdown turn to GoFundMe to raise money

San Diegans are going online to raise money to help make ends meet amid a partial government shutdown prolonged by a impasse over President Trump's demand for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
San Diegans hit by government shutdown turn to GoFundMe to raise money

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SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - San Diegans are going online to raise money to help make ends meet amid a partial government shutdown prolonged by a impasse over President Trump's demand for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. 

More than 700 accounts have been created on fundraising site GoFundMe related to the shutdown, with a total of roughly $50,000 raised so far, GoFundMe spokeswoman Katherine Cichy told CBS MoneyWatch in an email.

Heidi, a single mom to an 8-year-old girl from San Diego, said on her GoFundMe page that she is "being threatened for repossession of her car" since the extension of the shutdown and has only "4 days to pay rent." She says she's not here to collect thousands of dollars, only enough to get her through the next month.

Jennie Brane from San Diego said on her GoFundMe page, that she started the page as a "fundraiser to help a sweet and dear family" at her daycare who has been hit hard by the government shutdown. 

Kiks Martin, a contractor for the Federal Government as a Fleet Manager Assistant, said on his GoFundMe page that the shutdown really affects him because once the shutdown ends he will not get back pay as a contractor. 

Some of the 800,000 government employees working without pay or on furlough since the shutdown started on Dec. 22, along with thousands of contract workers, are also turning to Twitter using the hashtag #Shutdownstories. Among their most pressing financial needs are making mortgage and rent payments and taking care of basic necessities like food and diapers, according to the GoFundMe campaigns.

To guard against scams, GoFundMe set up a team to review shutdown campaigns using "proprietary technical tools" and "multiple processes" to verify organizers and beneficiaries, Cichy said. Before money is transferred, GoFundMe's payment processor also verifies an individual's information, including banking details, she said. 

GoFundMe also guarantees donations. If funds are misused "as determined in our sole discretion," GoFundMe will pay up to $1,000 per donor per campaign, according to the company's policy.

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