How close were y'all with "Corey Baker"?

[bathroommonkey76]

Does anyone on here actually KNOW this guy?

[bathroommonkey76]

1. I'd read the last few posts on this guy's thread

Something really sketchy is going on here...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

4. How so?

[bathroommonkey76]

6. Read the last few comments in his GoFundMe Thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028687672

[Maru Kitteh]

93. VITAL INFORMATION ALL MEMBERS PLEASE READ. PLEASE TAKE CAUTION.

Whoever was posting as Corey_Baker08 has self-deleted their posts on DU/GD upon a member finding that Corey Baker was posting casually on Facebook with no mention of any accident or emergency while he was supposedly near death in the ICU.

After reading this post, please see JenniferJunipers post here as as starting point, and other posts/info on the thread. http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8688991

Here is the link to report this gofundme https://www.gofundme.com/contact?t=donation_page_report&url=27-year-old-injured-in-car-accident I hope you will take a moment to file a report with them, as many kind DU'ers, some on fixed incomes who could not afford to give, did so because we are a warm community with tender hearts for those in need. You do not need to make a contribution to file a concern. If you inform gofundme in your report that you were intentionally misled by the person soliciting funds for this gofundme account, it may help facilitate the return of funds to the kind people who gave, as that is a specific part of the "giving guarantee" language.

Posts on the Corey Baker Facebook page were suddenly made private after JJ's inquiry as to why it had been posted in very recently while the poster was supposedly in intensive care, near death. The posts were of a casual nature, ordinary chat/posting to friends with no mention of an accident, hospitalization, helicopter airlift, family emergency, etc. The OP has acknowledged that the FB page and the gofundme recipient are one and the same but denied the facebook posts, after making them private.

Despite claiming to be the brother of the poster and unfamiliar with DU formats, rules and with how to post on DU; this OP has posted this identical thread in many locations on DU including Editorials & Articles, The Lounge, a locked thread on LBN where they formatted it to look like it was in compliance with LBN rules, with a "SOURCE: DAYTON DAILY NEWS" title, General Discussion, and Community Help? Even I didn't realize that forum existed.

The poster has been asked about the Facebook posts, how "Corey" was casually posting on his FB while near death but will not answer.

The poster has been asked for a link to their own Facebook but will not answer.

The poster has been asked what day, time and location this accident supposedly happened but will not answer.

The poster has been asked what hospital the gofundme recipient is in, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked; why did, coincidentally, the posts to the Facebook suddenly become private upon being discovered by a member here? There has been no answer.

The poster has been asked why are there no media accounts of his accident, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked how they knew to blanket the whole DU community with this post, and how they knew where and how to find the right areas to post it if they were unfamiliar to DU, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked why they have provided no accountability of any kind, but will not answer.









Sorry for the thread-butt BRM!

[FarPoint]

103. Live in Dayton...

Unable to clarify issue/ incident.

[JI7]

2. he has been posting here for years

Never met him personally but know him from his posts over the years.

[bathroommonkey76]

5. has he?

So it's not possible that this accident is a scam?

[JI7]

7. yes i remember when he was a teenager posting on here

[bathroommonkey76]

8. But is the person using this account now Corey Baker? nt

[Hekate]

62. His brother Aaron is posting on his behalf

If you are concerned enough, it is possible to do some internet searches to see if you can find anything out. Also, you can ask the poster for a link to any newspaper article about the car accident. Neither of those things would be a hostile response, afaik.

[bathroommonkey76]

64. Is it Corey Baker in Illinois or Ohio?

Read through this thread and the GoFundMe thread-- DU user JenniferJuniper discovered an active FB account earlier from this Corey person-- after she posted it in the GoFundMe thread the FB profile went private/disappeared.

[Hekate]

69. I have now read thru enough of this and the other thread to see a bunch of red flags

Whoever our original Corey was on DU, either he changed drastically or his accounts have been hijacked.

Either way, people with good hearts are being scammed here and elsewhere, and I wonder if there isn't a way to shut it down.

Thanks for being on it.

[bathroommonkey76]

70. No problem.

Like I said I don't want anyone on this site to get scammed by some Freeper or DU hacker.

Thanks.

[LisaL]

9. How do you figure that out from what has been said?

[bathroommonkey76]

11. Read JenniferJuniper's comments in his accident thread. nt

[bathroommonkey76]

16. I just don't want anyone from this site being scammed by someone. nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. There's been a Corey Baker on DU since at least 2005.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x2970794

[bathroommonkey76]

10. Right-- I'd be very careful.

There are signs this is a scam... It could also be connected to the hack DU experienced last year.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. I guess everybody has to decide for themselves whether they feel comfortable

donating to a fund for a stranger. I have not been following this especially closely, but someone on the other thread posted that they couldn't find any news reports about an accident involving someone by that name. So I guess the lesson is, trust but verify.

[bathroommonkey76]

13. I posted that about his accident. nt

[Maru Kitteh]

14. Never noticed him, but we have thousands of members.

so, ya know?

[bathroommonkey76]

15. I just find this whole thing sketchy.

From JenniferJuniper:

"The facebook page of the individual supposedly on death's door was open until about 20 minutes ago and he posted last night. Not an automatic post; it was in response to a friend's comment and he sounded just fine.

The poster has had a couple of different gofundme links and has started a number of threads in different places. Zero evidence supporting his sob story has been provided."


http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028687672

[demmiblue]

17. Strange how you are so invested in this.

Sure, there may be some warning signs, but there are equal warning signs pointing to a couple of others in terms of maleficence. :ahem:

Wanting personal phone numbers for family members?

Making claims about Facebook entries that no one can verify (I guess if one was so worried, they would have taken a screenshot)? No links to the other GoFundMe accounts?

Hmmm.

I guess it is up to the individual to decide.

[bathroommonkey76]

18. How about Googling accidents in the Dayton area

and Corey Baker's name to see if anything comes up.

I've been scammed before online by people--

What's wrong with asking for verification from family members via phone before I donate? Wouldn't you like to know where your money is going before you give it to a stranger. You must have enough money toss around to every GoFundMe page...

Ask Jennifer why she didn't take a screenshot... I clicked on it, too. And she is right.

[demmiblue]

20. Pffft.... you want family members to post their phone numbers on the internet?!

Give or don't give.... that is your choice.

[bathroommonkey76]

21. Or the scammer can post a burner number online

to carry on this scam.

There's a private messaging system on here that works, right?

[demmiblue]

23. But no one posted a number, so I don't get your point.

And what does DU's pm system have to do with anything?

[bathroommonkey76]

25. Did you Google Corey Baker and Dayton, Ohio accident yet?

Any news stories come up yet? How about doing a Google search of the helicopter from the hospital and see if there was an accident in the area?

The point of the DU pm system is "Corey Baker" could send me verification that way instead of posting their numbers in the threads... I'm sure a family asking for money would love to explain their situation to the people who donate to their page.

[demmiblue]

28. Good lawd.

[regnaD kciN]

74. Sure...let's all get ripped-off by a scammer!!!

[bathroommonkey76]

22. Btw did you Google Corey Baker and Dayton accident? nt

[demmiblue]

24. No, and I am not going to. n/t

[bathroommonkey76]

27. Good-- You shouldn't. lol

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

26. I just did, out of curiosity. Not a thing.

I did try various versions of a google search and couldn't turn anything up. FWIW.

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

55. Didn't they say Dayton was like 45 minutes from where the guy lives?

Not all accidents around cities get in the news, you know. And someone DID find an old account from 2006. If the story is true and you are discouraging people from helping...well...I could say what that would make you...but I'm going to let you figure it out so I don't get into trouble.

On edit: On the go fund me page the brother's location is Indiana. Dayton isn't too far from the border and in Corey's old post that was linked he talked about having restaurant jobs in both Ohio AND Indiana. He may live in Indiana and that may be where the accident happened but Dayton would be the nearest city with a trauma center.

[bathroommonkey76]

57. Tell me what it makes me if this guy turns out to be a scammer--

Read JenniferJuniper's comments, too. She's understands what's going on... lol

[NoGoodNamesLeft]

65. Well, if you took a few minutes to actually read the kids old posts...

And looked at the location of the person who posted the GoFundMe page you would see Indiana being mentioned by Corey where he had two jobs...one in Ohio and one in Indiana. Obviously he lives near the border...either in Ohio or Indiana. Dayton isn't far from Indiana and his accident could have been in either state...and not likely right in Dayton. And again...not all accidents make the paper and usually they don't actually put the names of those in the accident in the newspaper. Patient privacy and all...

I'd rather err on the side of human decency, personally.

[bathroommonkey76]

68. Should his Ill FB be trusted?

He lives in Ohio, right.

And has an Illinois FB?

If this turns out to be real, I WILL apologize to him.

Everything I've seen so far points towards a scam...

[Maru Kitteh]

91. But in this case, you'd be wrong. Human decency is not playing peoples' emotions to scam $$$

Whoever was posting as Corey_Baker08 has self-deleted their posts on DU/GD upon a member finding that Corey Baker was posting casually on Facebook with no mention of any accident or emergency while he was supposedly near death in the ICU.

After reading this post, please see JenniferJunipers post here as as starting point, and other posts/info on the thread. http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8688991

Here is the link to report this gofundme https://www.gofundme.com/contact?t=donation_page_report&url=27-year-old-injured-in-car-accident I hope you will take a moment to file a report with them, as many kind DU'ers, some on fixed incomes who could not afford to give, did so because we are a warm community with tender hearts for those in need. You do not need to make a contribution to file a concern. If you inform gofundme in your report that you were intentionally misled by the person soliciting funds for this gofundme account, it may help facilitate the return of funds to the kind people who gave, as that is a specific part of the "giving guarantee" language.

Posts on the Corey Baker Facebook page were suddenly made private after JJ's inquiry as to why it had been posted in very recently while the poster was supposedly in intensive care, near death. The posts were of a casual nature, ordinary chat/posting to friends with no mention of an accident, hospitalization, helicopter airlift, family emergency, etc. The OP has acknowledged that the FB page and the gofundme recipient are one and the same but denied the facebook posts, after making them private.

Despite claiming to be the brother of the poster and unfamiliar with DU formats, rules and with how to post on DU; this OP has posted this identical thread in many locations on DU including Editorials & Articles, The Lounge, a locked thread on LBN where they formatted it to look like it was in compliance with LBN rules, with a "SOURCE: DAYTON DAILY NEWS" title, General Discussion, and Community Help? Even I didn't realize that forum existed.

The poster has been asked about the Facebook posts, how "Corey" was casually posting on his FB while near death but will not answer.

The poster has been asked for a link to their own Facebook but will not answer.

The poster has been asked what day, time and location this accident supposedly happened but will not answer.

The poster has been asked what hospital the gofundme recipient is in, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked; why did, coincidentally, the posts to the Facebook suddenly become private upon being discovered by a member here? There has been no answer.

The poster has been asked why are there no media accounts of his accident, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked how they knew to blanket the whole DU community with this post, and how they knew where and how to find the right areas to post it if they were unfamiliar to DU, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked why they have provided no accountability of any kind, but will not answer.

[Chemisse]

53. A link to the news story about the accident would not be too much to expect.

A family member should expect to provide some information to confirm his story.

[bathroommonkey76]

19. But go ahead-- I'll keep quiet about the possible scam that's happening on here.

lol

Those on fixed incomes don't need their money anyways... smh

[demtenjeep]

108. exactly

the obsession is a bit off

[Trumpdumper]

29. Has anyone heard from Earl J. Waggedorn?

[bathroommonkey76]

30. lmao

Corey Baker's part of the cast. lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_(TV_series)

[rzemanfl]

31. Welcome to DU. n/t

[Trumpdumper]

33. Thanks --

Im actually an old-timer but lost my login info.

[rzemanfl]

36. You had me googling with your Julia reference. n/t

[Trumpdumper]

41. Corey Baker ALWAYS referred to his neighbor friend as "Earl J. Waggedorn" --

That was one of the true highlights of the show.

[rzemanfl]

44. In those days I wasn't watching much TV. n/t

[GP6971]

39. Welcome Back!

What was your previous Username?

[Trumpdumper]

49. nixonwasbetterthanW

[hrmjustin]

42. I like your new name.

[Trumpdumper]

50. Yeah, surprised it wasn't taken!

[likesmountains 52]

32. I didn't have an opinion one way or another, but the lack of personal comments

on the Gofundme link is unlike any other I've seen..no personal condolences from friends , neighbors or relatives. All Gofundme pages i have been involved with have comments from people who are obviously hurting along with the family..something like "oh, Bob and Fran, so sorry to hear about your nephew." Just an observation.

[bathroommonkey76]

34. There was a comment the other day that talked trash about the people on DU

It has been deleted...

The comment said something to the effect:

"Don't expect your friends from DU to donate to you b/c they are on gov't assistance."

I didn't say anything during that time b/c I wasn't home...

[demtenjeep]

81. that is good then...likely the scums from CC

they thrive on our misfortune.

when I asked for funds to help my students make blankets, they commented about how I was scamming money for vacation. When the blankets were made and the photos were posted they shut up

[Orrex]

35. I'd be interested to read the news story about his accident.

If financial assistance is being requested, then this seems like a reasonable expectation IMO.

[bathroommonkey76]

37. There aren't any news stories about his accident... That's the point.

His FB profile was also used today-- Another DU member posted the link in the "Corey Baker" accident thread.

[Orrex]

38. Wait--that reminds me!

I was in an accident today. Send me money!

[Brother Buzz]

63. Dammit, I was the dude that T-boned you

I think I am due beer, travel money, and many experiences...

[Crunchy Frog]

77. I'm a Nigerian prince, and I need your help...

[demtenjeep]

60. the fb listed illinois

Corey lived in Ohio


probably not even the same person

so many if ands or buts

that is why I give with my heart and don't worry about the reason

if I can't afford to give, I pray instead.

Not my place to question...if I want to give, I will

[Crunchy Frog]

80. Not the same person, but same pictures on Facebook and GFM page?

I actually thought there were rules here about getting permission from the admins before posting requests for money. Maybe I'm remembering wrong.

[uppityperson]

84. They changed it a while back to allowing it unless jury chose to hide it

[demtenjeep]

40. I am not in position to donate but I would if I could

This place is an awesome community.

When I was teaching and needed funds to get blankets for my kids DU stepped up

When one of my students killed himself and the family couldn't even raise money to bury him DU stepped up

This last year when I almost lost everything due to illness...DU stepped up

it is not for us to nancy drew it out . If someone is hurting, we give-that is why we are a great community.

Funny how someone with less than 1000 posts is trying to make a scam from someone who has been here 10+ years

[bathroommonkey76]

43. Tell me how Corey used his FB profile yesterday?

He's in ICU, right? After "Corey" was called out by another member of DU his posts on FB page suddenly disappeared! Hmmmm....

Use my account as bait then... Deflect from the BS scam that's happening to you member's right now on DU.

Eff it!

I'm done with this...

[demtenjeep]

45. sorry I don't mess with people

do your own research-come to your own conclusion but wouldn't you feel horrible if you found out you kept someone from seeing their child before death because of a "feeling" you couldn't explain?

Do you remember Andy Stephenson?

[bathroommonkey76]

48. I've already come to the conclusion that Corey Baker is scamming the members of the DU community. nt

[demtenjeep]

52. which is your right to do so

but don't spend all night trying to convince others.

Look,

When I give, it is because my heart tells me to. If the person suckers me, well it is my bad but I did what my heart felt to do.

I don't give a homeless person for food and then follow them to make sure they don't buy booze. It isn't my place. If a scammer gets 20 bucks from me because I felt led to give for a purpose and they use it for different uses-its on them and their conscious. Mine is clear.

Do me a favor and read the story about Andy Stephenson right here on DU

[ohheckyeah]

96. Who are you to tell

Him what to do? Some of us appreciate the effort. It's NOT andy Stephenson. There have been too many scams lately. I don't like getting ripped off!

[AJT]

56. Thank you for the heads up

I can only hope things are on the up abd up. I tend to be naive about this kind of thing.

[Glimmer of Hope]

46. I think if you call the hospital, they will confirm he is a patient. Or not.

[bathroommonkey76]

72. I called and the operator said there wasn't a patient by that name there.

You are welcome to give him a ring to verify.


From the GFM thread:


where Corey is supposed to be a patient is:

Patient Information:

University Hospital, Dodd Hall - 614-293-8300

https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/patient-and-visitor-guide/telephone-guide

[BlueStateLib]

47. Sounds legit to me, Corey has been around DU since at least 2005

Old Corey Baker post
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x2970794

[Maru Kitteh]

94. Please read post/links/info below. Corey Baker Gofundme believed to be a scam.

Whoever was posting as Corey_Baker08 has self-deleted their posts on DU/GD upon a member finding that Corey Baker was posting casually on Facebook with no mention of any accident or emergency while he was supposedly near death in the ICU.

After reading this post, please see JenniferJunipers post here as as starting point, and other posts/info on the thread. http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8688991

Here is the link to report this gofundme https://www.gofundme.com/contact?t=donation_page_report&url=27-year-old-injured-in-car-accident I hope you will take a moment to file a report with them, as many kind DU'ers, some on fixed incomes who could not afford to give, did so because we are a warm community with tender hearts for those in need. You do not need to make a contribution to file a concern. If you inform gofundme in your report that you were intentionally misled by the person soliciting funds for this gofundme account, it may help facilitate the return of funds to the kind people who gave, as that is a specific part of the "giving guarantee" language.

Posts on the Corey Baker Facebook page were suddenly made private after JJ's inquiry as to why it had been posted in very recently while the poster was supposedly in intensive care, near death. The posts were of a casual nature, ordinary chat/posting to friends with no mention of an accident, hospitalization, helicopter airlift, family emergency, etc. The OP has acknowledged that the FB page and the gofundme recipient are one and the same but denied the facebook posts, after making them private.

Despite claiming to be the brother of the poster and unfamiliar with DU formats, rules and with how to post on DU; this OP has posted this identical thread in many locations on DU including Editorials & Articles, The Lounge, a locked thread on LBN where they formatted it to look like it was in compliance with LBN rules, with a "SOURCE: DAYTON DAILY NEWS" title, General Discussion, and Community Help? Even I didn't realize that forum existed.

The poster has been asked about the Facebook posts, how "Corey" was casually posting on his FB while near death but will not answer.

The poster has been asked for a link to their own Facebook but will not answer.

The poster has been asked what day, time and location this accident supposedly happened but will not answer.

The poster has been asked what hospital the gofundme recipient is in, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked; why did, coincidentally, the posts to the Facebook suddenly become private upon being discovered by a member here? There has been no answer.

The poster has been asked why are there no media accounts of his accident, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked how they knew to blanket the whole DU community with this post, and how they knew where and how to find the right areas to post it if they were unfamiliar to DU, but will not answer.

The poster has been asked why they have provided no accountability of any kind, but will not answer.

[Locut0s]

51. I think what the OP is saying is make sure to exercise an abundance of caution...

People are at their most vulnerable BOTH when hurt as is supposedly the case with Corey, but also when feeling sympathy. No one is suggesting not to feel sympathy, or not to donate to such causes. I think everyone would agree that is of paramount importance. That being said DU specifically has been a target long before the election hack. Members on here have been targeted many times before. When you add the election day hack on top of the fact that identity theft scams like this aren't that rare anyway on the internet. Then a certain amount of caution should rightly be exercised.

[True Dough]

54. Agreed

OP might be coming across as a little aggressive in asserting his skepticism but he is looking out for DU member's best interests. I think he has raised some potentially legitimate red flags. The person who was supposedly advocating on Corey's behalf has gone silent.

Maybe there will be an explanation that clears things up, but I would be hesitant to donate much money, if any at all, until some answers/clarifications are forthcoming.

[demtenjeep]

58. maybe his brother is one the way to say goodbye?

maybe that person is working

there are a lot of possibilities

it is not up to me to judge

My heart is clear

[True Dough]

59. Your choice

Hope everything is on the up and up and my condolences to the Baker family if this is all legit. If not...


EDIT: But someone found the time to respond on his Facebook account and then make it private after being questioned about how the response didn't indicate any sort of crisis. Hmm.

[Locut0s]

61. The type of caution I was recommending was...

If you choose to donate do so with a credit card not linked to your name or address in any way and if possible under a pseudonym account. I'm not suggesting there are not very legitimately good reasons why this could very easily be real. I'm not saying it definitely IS a scam at all. Just that people should always be careful.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

66. Seems like a scam to me.

No news reports, the facebook page suddenly going private... I'm usually quite giving, but this raises my skepticism.

[WillowTree]

67. One smallish thing in the OP from that other thread gave me pause.

According to that OP, "Corey grew up fast on 9/11 as a 7th grade student." He would have had to since just a couple of sentences earlier we learned that just 10 months earlier he was ".......10 years old when he witnessed the theft of the 2000 Election." '

It's just the kind of careless inconsistency that makes me question the whole thing.

[cwydro]

71. Good catch.

This has scam written all over it.

The FB page suddenly going private was a giveaway.

[BainsBane]

73. The author's writing style changes dramatically throughout the thread

Doesn't seem like a native English speaker to me, which doesn't track with his claims. Then the FB going private right after someone asked if Corey had posted is a major red flag. I smell a scam.

Last time I smelled a scam, someone wound up pocketing $4 million. Just saying. In that case, it was the ask that was greatly inflated, which I commented on at the time.

[dixiegrrrrl]

75. The tone of it, both here and GFMe page is raising flags for me

The tone reminds of the Nigerian scams when they get your attention and then they raise the bar by claiming more problems, urgent you help now, etc.
Plus that timeline..

I have good radar, it is pretty darn accurate, and I am sorry to say this does not meet the smell test.

[BainsBane]

76. Also someone called the hospital

and no one by the name of Corey Baker is staying there.

[bathroommonkey76]

78. I called earlier.

The operator said there wasn't a patient named Corey Baker there.

The number is posted in the GFM thread-- It only takes a couple of minutes. Give them a ring.

[BainsBane]

82. Nah, I believe you

It tracks with my own impressions.

[dalton99a]

101. Yep. The progression was scammish.

[Quixote1818]

79. It looks like a scam to me. First of all there are Zero comments on the page from close friends

I haven't seen a lot of go fund me pages but the ones I have seen always had very close friends leaving notes of support.

[bathroommonkey76]

83. Look at the GoFundMe page.

This is posted on the page:

Created February 19, 2017
COREY BAKER
Emergencies
RICHMOND, IN

https://www.gofundme.com/27-year-old-injured-in-car-accident

Indiana? But I thought Corey had an accident in Ohio? It's a fuckin scam. And every person on this site needs to be notified-- ESPECIALLY IF THEY DONATED MONEY ON GOFUNDME!

[pinboy3niner]

86. The Facebook page says Corey lives in Richmond, Indiana

That's on the Ohio border. If the story is true, the accident happened in Ohio as he was driving home from working in Dayton.

[bathroommonkey76]

87. Read JenniferJuniper's comments

from the GFM thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8688991

She's been on this for a while now.

[bathroommonkey76]

85. I forgot to mention

Corey's FB profile said that he lived in Illinois.

So Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio-- This person probably lives in Nigeria and works with a network of scammers. They're looking forward to splitting the 1700 they've raised so far.

[pinboy3niner]

88. What it says on the FB page

Lives in Richmond, Indiana

From Union City, Indiana

[bathroommonkey76]

89. Well, how about calling the hospital then.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=8690479

"Aaron" gave this number to the people on DU to verify that he was a patient there.

I called a couple of hours ago and the operator said that there wasn't a Corey Baker in the system.

You're welcome to call-- It'll only take a couple of minutes.


where Corey is supposed to be a patient is:

Patient Information:

University Hospital, Dodd Hall - 614-293-8300

[Warpy]

90. Never really saw him before the fundraising started

so I suspect he posted in the Lounge or Gungeon or other places I don't go if I can avoid them.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

92. I had never noticed him on DU before.

And even though I'm relatively new as PoindexterOglethorpe, I've been reading this site for many years. And the name Corey Baker didn't mean anything to me.

For someone who's been around since 2004, he has remarkably few posts. Under 200 per year. Not sure what to make of that, but he is not someone who was very present here.

And I am personally very unlikely to donate to someone I don't actually know.

[Warren DeMontague]

95. Any time someone asks for money on the internet I assume it's a scam. It's terrible, I know.

I've become a cynical fuck.




But unless there's some sort of well-corroborated piece of data verifying the parameters of whatever the situation is; like, a news story in a respected journalism outlet.. I just assume fake until proven otherwise.

[ohheckyeah]

97. Thank you - for your efforts

To expose a scammer. I personally appreciate your efforts.

[RandiFan1290]

98. The Facebook page has several other 'Bakers' listed under his friends list.

Not one of them mention a family member in ICU and none of them are named Aaron.

[dalton99a]

102. Because they were all in the ICU waiting room and none of them had a phone to post an update.

[TheBlackAdder]

104. I don't Facebook, but has anyone reached out to them so offer their sympathy, to see the results?

[woodsprite]

105. I saw the same thing last night when I was poking around.

He also had several friends named "Aaron", but I didn't see any of those having posts that said a 'brother by another father' was in an accident or in the hospital (not the same last name). I didn't post anything about it because of the hullaballoo surrounding similar warnings.

[TheOther95Percent]

99. Nope, Didn't Recognize Him

I couldn't find any press/broadcast accounts of this life-threatening accident, which is strange because most towns/cities have a local media outlet that jumps on this type of story. I found a Corey Baker in NH who was killed in a motor vehicle accident in 2016.

[RandiFan1290]

100. Corey Capitalized Every Word In Titles!

Just like Aaron!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

106. I came a little late to this party,

after several people had started wondering whether this was legit. I read the various posts and did a little sleuthing on my own, more out of curiosity than anything else. Like others, I found no news reports of any accident involving a "Corey Baker," although one as serious as was described would certainly have appeared in local media.

His Facebook page, now evidently removed, indicated that he lives in Richmond, IN, which is just across the Ohio border and not far from Dayton, so the part of the story describing general location of the alleged accident is plausible - but it doesn't seems to have happened, at least as far as news reports go. But on Spokeo I did find a listing for a Corey A. Baker, age 27, in Richmond, IN, who is related to an Aaron Baker. I found Aaron Baker, age 28, related to Corey Baker, in Greenville, OH, formerly from Richmond, IN. So it appears that there is a real Corey and a real brother named Aaron, but whether either of these people were responsible for the fund solicitations on DU and Gofundme, or whether those requests were by imposters, seems undetermined.

In any event, I'd say that whenever these requests appear, you don't have to assume automatically that they are scams, but always at least consider the possibility that they could be. It is not unkind to request more information - it can be done without making accusations. If the reason for the request is that someone has been injured in an accident, as in this case, look for a link to a news report. Look for information about where it occurred (so local police can be contacted if necessary). Look for other social media information. If you are the person making a request for yourself or someone else, include enough independently-verifiable information that potential donors can confirm the basis for the request and don't feel nervous about donating.

When I reread the original DU posts as well as the Gofundme request, I was struck by how the poster never offered to verify any of the information, but instead ratcheted up the alleged desperation and the amount of money needed, and accused doubters of being unkind and insensitive. It just wasn't passing the smell test.

And don't let the requester or other DUers shame you for being skeptical or cautious. Everybody wants to be helpful, but there are, unfortunately, people who prey on the kind impulses of others. Be careful and don't allow yourself to be guilted into contributing to one of these requests unless you're sure it's real. You are entitled to know that you aren't giving your money to a crook.

[bathroommonkey76]

107. Thanks for checking on Spokeo. n/t

[DefenseLawyer]

109. Corey Baker appears to be the Captain Tuttle of DU n/t