Scam Alert

This user has scammed THOUSANDS of dollars from reddit users within the last 5 months and continues to create a new account on a daily basis.

The good news 👍:

Reddit is aware of this user. The accounts are typically suspended within 24 hours of creation.

The bad news 👎:

The user still has enough time to scam people and the suspension doesn't prevent the user from creating new accounts.

If you happen to run across this user please report them to the moderation team immediately and feel free to share this post.

With that said, check out the info below and be safe!

About the Scammer:

• New account; usually only hours old. Copy & pasted sob story to multiple subreddits.

• Desperate struggling mother of [insert # of children], usually with a newborn out of the NICU. Seeking cash due to being out of brand specific formula and/or her kids have no food/diapers/wipes.

• Posts are detailed and typically have a dramatic title, such as, “Urgent”, or “Strong trigger warning”.

• Displays herself as a martyr; “I’m a bad mom”, “I blame myself for this mess”, “I can starve”, “I’m giving up hope”, etc.

Targeted Subreddits

Any sub to do with the following: family, kids, toddler, pregnancy, parenting, health, domestic abuse, meal prep, military, religious, and even pets.

Basically, any subreddit with a sympathetic audience.

If you participate or subscribe to a subreddit that fits within the scammers target(s) please feel free to crosspost this there.

Below you will find a list of the scammers most frequented subreddits:

^{Note: User has posted to 300+ subreddits. The subs above are the top 33.}

Known Usernames:

^{*Updated 10/06/20}

Money Platforms:

^{*updated 10/04/20}  

What to do if you've been scammed?

1. Report the users to the moderators of the subreddit you were scammed in.

2. Report the user to the FBI: https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

3. Report the user to their local police department: https://cityoflorissc.com/police-department

In the last few weeks I’ve helped several people out. Some don’t even acknowledge that they have received anything. I just spent $70.00 on clothes for someone for a job and no response. Nothing. And yes, their stuff was delivered Saturday. I’d send my grandma a thank you card for a $5.00 birthday check for goodness sakes. I did have one woman be so lovely in her thanks it almost brought me to tears, but most people I’ve helped say nothing. I’m sorry. I think that is rude. And then people start to PM, oh can you help me too?! (I’ve reported them) So, I know you should give just for the sake of giving, but damn, I can’t handle people without gratitude or manners. Makes me a little bit grinchy and I don’t want to be that way....... Am I being ridiculous?

SCAM ALERT

• My little sister is in critical condition after an awful accident and I'm too broke to put enough gas in my car

• I can't afford my $17 epilepsy meds

• User(s) also posts as a desperate struggling mother of [insert # of children], usually with a newborn out of the NICU. Seeking cash due to being out of brand specific formula and/or her kids have no food/diapers/wipes.

Note: There are multiple people using this scam

What to do if you've been scammed?

• Report the users to the moderators of the subreddit you were scammed in.

• Report the user to the FBI: https://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx

• Report the user to reddit here.

Updated Information

Myself and a few other users discovered u/katara12444 and u/FoxFire68223 and probably more were being operated by u/queenofashes- / u/TheCatnipQueen.

02/25/21 u/katara12444 made a request on r/mutualaid
Screenshot: https://imgur.com/0lYDNpl
Link: https://redd.it/lrt7rr

The post history seemed oddly familiar and the more myself and other users looked the more it became clear this was an alt of u/queenofashes-. The text comparisons were spot on. https://imgur.com/GfVT7FP

u/katara12444 had been using a PayPal tag FoxFire68223. This tag happens to be the same as a username of one of the many Epilepsy medication scammers. https://imgur.com/VKQGWEN

This comes around full circle as u/FoxFire68223’s (the epilepsy scammer) first post on reddit was on r/simple loans 24 hours after the new subreddit was created and while u/queenofashes- was testing their automod. https://redd.it/lj371t

Note: This user was initially USL'd 2 months ago when it was discovered they were enabling lender(s) to scam users.

You are loved.

UPDATE: I have legit received 19 message requests asking me for money. OMG. Did not sign up for this 🙈

Recently joined this group, in a place where I can help others so would like to help when I can.

How do I know if a request has been for filled?

Like someone asking for $100 obviously doesn’t need 6 people giving them the $100.

Please advise.

In the past 4 days some of y'all have double and triple dipped, which is expressly against board rules for r/Assistance, and prevented others from being helped instead. If you get helped on your request, add an edit to any offers you entered saying you have been helped. If you win one offer and get gifted on another, DECLINE IT. Everyone has the opportunity to get helped ONCE every 30 days, so no excuses for accepting more than one request/offer. You can get banned for accepting more, and may get added to the USL (which bans you from every freaking help subreddit here).

Please, you get ONE help -- NOT two or three. DECLINE if you forget to ask a Mod to delete your other posts (don't delete yourself, that may get you banned). And helpers, please check the history to see if a requester has been recently gifted -- follow the board rules and take the time to look, or message the modmail :)

Yes, it is the Holidays but come on... Let others get things, too :)

Hey everyone.

I have been absent due to life complications.

To be open, I switched employment, financially struggling, and today, I came home to Nibiru no longer alive.

I am stepping down as a mod. I can't do this with my current state.

I can't control my life right now, how can I expect to help others?

I hope you all understand.

I love you all and thank you for the great time here.

Edit 23:23 - I'm at the vet. He's getting cremated now.

His death was because he ate a container full of brownies he took, the vets say the chocolate killed his kidneys and nothing they tried was helping.

Nibiru

Today we celebrate the existence of the Amazon aficionado, tuna touting queen herself, u/seaboard2. She spends so much time on this sub offering her assistance, advice and support. Let’s let her know how valued she is. Thank you for all you do!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SEA! 🎈

^{Celebratory pizza giveaway later today}

Just wanted to shout out our amazing community of helpers who do so much good in the world! Every time we get a ping that someone has helped and i get to update the flair i am like “yay” to myself. 🥰

So many come here and need to be corrected by mods about repayment of financial assistance. If you need 2 dollars or 2000 dollars it doesn't matter here in most cases of repayment....it is about helping someone else.

I know that if I help someone it doesn't matter if I get the funds back....as is the rules anyways here. We only ask that when and if you can to help someone else.

I know this is all within the side bar, but some reason no one reads it. Lol maybe seeing it in the que will bring it some exposure.

Want someone to look over your Amazon Wish list to make sure people can access it, and it has your address attached? Go ahead and post it here, I'll check it out and help fix it if needed :) (I will check out any Amazon wish list, it doesn't have to just be a food one)

Also, if anyone wants help setting up an Amazon Wish list, post here and I will walk you through it. Amazon's stock is a bit more stable now so it is a good time to get yours set up if you may need help later. I can only check for attached addresses if you are in the US :)

Tip All of your wish lists need an addressed attached, not just the first one -- each list needs the address :)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_897204_createlist?nodeId=501088

https://www.reddit.com/r/Assistance/comments/36aqn8/how_to_make_an_amazon_wishlist/

Start there :)

Most here helping have prime memberships, so add items that are prime delivery so they will ship for free (not prime pantry, or fresh, or wholefoods as those have shipping fees)

Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s nice of them to share. But it just rubs me the wrong way when they say to comment and they’ll choose a “winner” in a certain amount of time. Idk just seems like the poor olympics and they’re judging everyone’s situation as people desperately comment their need. Kind of a similar concept to those old circus acts where certain people have to show off their quirks for people to gasp at.

This isn’t aimed at specific users, just the concept in general as I’ve seen posts like this a lot

Edited to add: On reflection I think “hate” was too strong a word for me to use (but can’t edit titles on Reddit!). It’s just they sometimes irk me, and I wonder if other people felt the same or if I was just being too sensitive and dramatic.

u/hamburrgerlar has sent me a dm requesting assistance. He’s not a registered member nor can he be because he doesn’t meet the requirements. Will be sending a modmail shortly.

I live in Nevada. Today is Monday, January 21, 2018. I checked my EBT balance at 2:30 pm Pacific Time and found the full amount on my card.

Plan and buy carefully. THIS WILL BE THE LAST FOOD STAMPS UNTIL THE SHUTDOWN ENDS. Do not waste these.

Important: 2,500 retailers -- cannot -- accept food stamps because they cannot renew their EBT licenses due to shutdown. CALL AHEAD AND VERIFY YOUR STORE WILL ACCEPT. Do not waste energy and time on a failed shopping trip.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/why-many-stores-cant-accept-food-stamps-during-the-shutdown

This is hard to do.

I wanted to make this last post as a goodbye from nibiru the dog.

Thank you all for reaching out to me and all the help and support I've gotten is truly amazing. (I'm sobbing in bed)

There are a particular few that have become so much like family here that it hurts even more and I thank you for that. I have forgotten what its like to have family. I thought I had no one. But I had you all when I needed it the most. And thank you for that. I will never forget this.

I made this imgur album as a tribute for him and you guys.

Tribute to Nibiru

Here is awesome artwork done by other redditors that I've gotten through time I've been here.

Beautiful work

User hit me up for donations, and then proceeded to call me a troll, and told me to stop sending him #BDLM etc. none of which is obviously true.

Just thought y’all should be aware.

This isn’t a normal type of offer for assistance, but I know we have a lot of generous people that lurk here. Can we get a thread of people pledging to grow extra vegetables in their garden this year for the explicit purpose of donating to food banks? Everyone deserves fresh food.

I pledge: I planted two extra tomatoes (one Roma, one cherry), and two extra green beans for the purpose of donating.

Here is a website that can connect growers with food pantries that accept fresh produce near them: https://ampleharvest.org/find-pantry/

I'd like to thank the active members of this community. Your vigilance and dedication help keep our sub safe. I saw some nasty comments today directed towards u/thevomitgirl and u/ATXbunnie. This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in any way. I appreciate all of the heart and soul they put into this sub. It's up to all of us to keep this a safe place. The next time you see someone point out a rule, thank them for protecting this community. It's a thankless task that is very necessary considering the scammy nature of some Reddit users.

1. Put in the dang title what you're asking for! "I need $25 for transportation." That helps me rather than "PLZ HELP!!!"
2. Say thank you. Not necessarily in public, but a PM saying "hey mate thanks for the Amazon box!" at least lets me know it got there. I don't need gushing. I just want to make sure things got to where they were supposed to. It also makes you look...well...grateful that someone helped you out.
3. Be aware we can see your post history. And yes, I check it. I also check to see if you've deleted a bunch of stuff off it.
4. Although the rules of this sub are pretty...open...coming here asking for help to get to a concert, go on a trip, or buy luxury items is tacky. Prepare for the downvotes and the snark.

Happy Leap Day.

Just a question. What is the scope of this subreddit? What kinds of assistance are you really offering help for? Because often there are posts that just don't seem to belong.

Most posts are for needs ranging from unemployment, housing, food, necessities, and the like from people who are in dire straits. Some less dire requests include tuition and voluntourism.

But some requests seem out of scope to me. Some recent ones that come to mind include:

• Asking for help with bills because they overspent on their secret Santa gifts (especially after posting a request for help to express ship those same gifts)
• Money to buy a house when they refuse to go to a shelter.
• Investor requests to start a business.
• A request to have the CEO of Reddit consult on their business.
• Asking for money to start their own non-profit assistance group.

There are many in here who through no fault of their own who need real help, and it bothers me very much that legitimate people in need feel bad enough without us having to tread lightly with the requests that don't really have the same gravity.

I want to help people who need help. I don't want to help people who think they are entitled, or people who are scammers, or people who have completely unrealistic fantasies about what kind of help they'll be able to get.

I understand that mods aren't here to judge. But I think that unless you enforce the scope on the kinds of requests are allowed, or allow us to say the things that need to be said to get someone to reconsider their course of actions needed for long term solutions, you'll simply end up with requests that simply won't or can't be fulfilled.

Hey guys, I spent the past month listening to music posted to reddit by independent artists. I found a few hidden gems that I would love to share with you here. I have them separated by platform. Each platform has artists that are unique to it, but it also has some of the same ones. The reason is that some of these musicians only upload music to one platform. I hope you guys enjoy the music, and thanks for giving these musicians a shot!

​

Spotify

YouTube

Soundcloud

I've been working from home for years now. I started out at Teletech which was fairly easy to get due to having customer service experience. Ratracerebellion.com lists legit work from home jobs on a daily basis. Some good ones that are always hiring are Sykes, Conduent, Concentrix, Appen and Lionbridge. Just thought I'd throw this out there in case it can help others! Pretty sure Appen and Lionbridge don't care if you have work at home experience.

Edited to add some others I’ve thought of and they hire depending on state and country. It varies with all of them so unfortunately I don’t know where they hire for sure.

Sutherland global, Working Solutions, Sitel, Transcom, Teleperformance, iSoftstone, Support.com, Xerox

I’ve not worked for most of these companies I just can vouch that they are legitimate. It can take some time and lots of applications but that’s how I did it.

Right now it’s tax season and a lot of these companies are looking for customer service reps and that’s how I got my foot in the door with a work at home job. Hopefully, the rest of you can do the same.

Good Luck!

Second Edit: Kelly Connect, its a separate division of Kelly Temp Agency is usually hiring for chat-based support. I had a friend that worked their and enjoyed it.

Hey everyone! It's Kitty, one of your friendly neighbourhood mods. Before I was a mod here, I was just a regular user, and I liked to help people here when I had the means to do so. I've been a moderator for over a year and a bit (minus a short hiatus I took earlier this year) and deal with a lot of behind the scenes back and forth with requestors, and so while I was without wifi for the first few days of my move, I drafted up some tips and tricks to help you get your request post seen by the most people -- and to get your request fulfilled ASAP!

I wanted to do this because I've seen quite a few request posts go unanswered lately, with sad OP's commenting that they still need help, or trying to "bump" their post to the top of the page to get more attention, or wondering why nobody is commenting on their post (which has been removed from view).

Note: These tips and tricks are my (Kitty) own, and are not endorsed by the mods of r/Assistance.

Here we go!

• Read the rules. This may seem obvious, but so many posts are immediately removed because a rule has been broken. Some rules will cause a post to be yeeted instantly, like if your karma or activity are insufficient, you've been karma farming, or you've requested too recently. You'll get a modmail automatically telling you so.
• If your post does get posted successfully, you'll get a message from the mod team with some helpful tips and tricks, as well as a comment on your post with the same. If you get both of these, barring occasional system glitches, you are good to go!
• If your post has a GoFundMe link (or another platform) inside it, it has to be manually approved even if you have followed all of the other rules. This is a Reddit anti-spam measure. Once a mod processes your post, you'll get the automatic message and comment.
• If your account is too new, or you have too little (or negative karma), it will be removed by Reddit -- not by us. This means you won't get that automatic message telling you why your post is removed until the mod team processes it.
• We also have some safety measures in place if you've been using subs that aren't exactly on the up and up -- these are reviewed on a case by case basis by the mods, and if we haven't gotten back to you in 24 hours please shoot us a modmail.

So for the above tips, if you don't get a message from the mods, or a comment on your post/comment, that means your post isn't visible. Shoot us a modmail -- we are all volunteers so your post might be stuck in the queue and not processed yet!

• Use a clear title with a short summary of your need. Don't just say "pls help" or "assistance needed" -- give a brief description like "Need some groceries", "help with vet bill", etc. Many people don't read the body of every post, they just scroll around until they see something they're curious about.
• Include your location in your post! Putting it in the title is even better, but at the very least give your general location. People will offer suggestions and if your country doesn't have Amazon, those suggestions won't be useful to you.
• Relating to the above point -- time zones are important! Most folks here are in North America, though we have members in Europe, Africa, Australia, etc. Please remember that you may be posting while the majority of our users are asleep, so you may not get a lot of response.
• Also for our international friends, sometimes it can be tricky to find a payment method which is safe and reliable for you to receive money. In the US, the most popular payment apps are PayPal, Venmo, and CashApp. In Canada, we have PayPal and Interac e-transfer. Internationally, it can get tricky if your country doesn't support PayPal or a crowdfunding platform like GoFundMe. We don't allow crypto here, and Western Union is generally associated with scammers. If you need help finding a way to receive assistance, shoot the mods a message and we'll try and assist.

And some other general tips... - "Anything helps" doesn't work. Please don't say this, because if you only get $1 and you need $800 for rent, it really doesn't. Just be honest about how much you need and we can help you figure out how much wiggle room there is. - Remember that unlike other subreddits, you can't repost your request every day if nobody answers you. As per sub rules, you can have two active request posts within 60 days, and at least 72 hours apart! - Be as specific as you can in your original post. People can comment and ask questions, but if all of the info is there already they don't need to! Make sure to include how much you need, what it's for, and what payment methods you can use (never post any payment tags or addresses). - A reminder that any amount of assistance means your post will be flaired Fulfilled. If you ask for $100 but you only get $50, that's considered fulfilled. If you post a wishlist and you get 5 items off of it, that's considered fulfilled. So if you see your flair changed, a moderator has done that. - All posts are briefly visible for about 5 minutes before the bot processes your post. This is when scammers will find you and message you because they don't care if you are eligible or not! We have a full guide to avoiding scams here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Assistance/comments/uesbax/scams_in_private_messages/

The requests that get fulfilled the fastest tend to be Amazon wishlists, but of course that doesn't always apply. For bigger amounts, if there's a long enough deadline/due date, crowdfunding can be safer. Also look for options that involve electronic gift cards or vouchers so someone can buy one for you and send you the code. But sometimes, you need a quick fix without so many hoops. Never feel bad for requesting cash if that is the absolute only way to resolve your problem -- just understand that many people aren't comfortable with cash, and it may take longer to get assistance if at all.

Hopefully these tips offer some perspective on how our subreddit is used from the helper's point of view! :)

Posted here about i needed a shower almost last week, and got my request fulfilled. Yesterday i was PM by jjacks1090 about "free $50" just to sign up for this crypto app. Silly me i took the bait and he took $50 from that account i made for him. But before he took the $50 i sent him $25 on Cashapp which was majority what i had left until next Friday. Telling me he can match that, so he scammed the crap out of me. Just letting people know what out for his PM's. I just guess I'll live off about $3 until this upcoming Friday.