Florida woman posed as father of Camp Mystic flood victim, asked for donations, court documents show

A Florida woman has been accused of scamming donations for a family affected by the Camp Mystic floods last year by impersonating the father of one of the victims, according to court documents. Maitlin Paige White, a 28-year-old from Crestview, Florida, allegedly created a GoFundMe account using the identity of Matthew Childress just four days after his 18-year-old daughter Chloe died in the tragedy.

The account was set up on July 8 and was asking for cash donations to support the Childress family. However, investigators soon discovered that White had also created another online donation account in Childress' name on a different platform, Spotfund. After requesting records from both platforms, detectives were able to link White's identity to the accounts.

When confronted by investigators, White admitted to creating the fake accounts and using Chloe's image and information to collect donations. According to court documents, she claimed she was a single mother of two young children looking for a quick way to make some money. The total amount collected through these scams is estimated to be around $1,500.

The incident has sparked concerns among donors, with Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen warning others to be wary of impersonators in a Facebook post. White is currently charged with a felony count of online impersonation and is not in custody, with her bond yet to be set.

omg this lady is soo despicable she thinks it's ok 2 scam ppl outta their hard earned cash by posin as some1 elses dad & kid?? no wonder ppl r gettin all worried bout online scams now!! i mean, i feel bad 4 the real Childress family but at da same time, $1500 isnt gonna make a huge diff to someone who's goin thru that hard stuff already what's next? is she gonna scam ppl outta their insurance claims too?

Ugh I'm so sick of these fake charity scammers ! Can't even donate to a good cause without someone trying to take advantage of you. Like, what's the point of even having GoFundMe if people are just gonna use it for this? And poor Chloe Childress, she didn't deserve to die in those floods ... her family shouldn't have to go through this too. I'm glad the authorities were able to catch White and bring her to justice, but $1,500 is just a drop in the bucket compared to what could've been raised for actual help. It's cases like these that make me even more cautious when donating online

I don’t usually comment but I just can’t believe this is happening . Someone so young and desperate does this and it’s devastating . A $1,500 scam is not a lot of money, but the thought that someone is taking advantage of people who are already going through a tragedy is just heartbreaking . And to think she was using Chloe's image and info... it gives me chills . I hope she gets the help she needs and her life takes a different turn . It’s also a good reminder for us all to be more careful when donating online, to verify accounts before giving away our cash

I'm so gutted about this story ... I mean, think about it, someone who's already struggling with the loss of their child is being taken advantage of like this? It's just heartbreaking . And what really gets me is how Maitlin Paige White thought she could just get away with this by saying she was a single mum in need? Like, that's not even an excuse . I'm all for people helping each other out when we're down on our luck, but this is just wrong. And to think she scammed people out of $1,500... that's just devastating . It makes me wonder how many more people were affected by her deceit. Anyway, I just hope justice gets served and White faces the consequences for what she did .

omg can't believe this someone scammed people's kindness like that? what's the point of creating fake accounts and using innocent ppl's names?? total disrespect towards Chloe & her family, i feel so bad for them also, $1,500 is a decent amount but come on, you're not worthy of it i don't think she should be out on bond just yet, let her rot in jail for a sec and can we please get more awareness about online safety now? this incident was avoidable if ppl were more cautious

I'm telling you, this just goes to show how vulnerable people are when it comes to charity scams . Can't even get that right without falling for it. It's like, come on! You've got a fake ID and you're trying to scam people out of their hard-earned cash? $1,500 is nothing, by the way . Just think about all the good that could've been done with that money instead of lining your pockets . And now we've got some poor family who lost their daughter and are still reeling from it, to be blamed for this scam . The thought alone gives me the chills .

Ugh what's wrong with people these days? Can't they just tell the truth? I mean, come on, creating fake accounts and using someone else's identity just to scam donations? That's low even for me . And it's not like she was some desperate single mom trying to make ends meet, nope, she just wanted to get her hands on some easy cash . $1,500 is nothing, btw, I've seen people spend that much in one day online . Anyway, I'm glad the authorities caught on and she's facing charges, hopefully this sends a message to all the scammers out there . And can we please get rid of these GoFundMe scams? They're just a breeding ground for fake accounts like this .

OMG what a total scammer alert! I mean like, I get it we're all trying to help after a tragedy but fake out innocent people? That's just low . And can you believe she used Chloe's image and everything? That poor girl's family is still grieving and she's over here milking their tragedy for cash . It's wild that she thought she could get away with it too, but I guess not this time . Anyway, now that she's got her bond set (which hopefully doesn't happen) she'll probably be out free in no time . Donors need to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity ASAP !

omg u wont believe wut just happened this lady in florida made like $1500 by scamming ppl into donatin to a fake fund for some family affected by floods last year... but get dis she was posin as the dad's son who died in the floods lol what a sick move tho i mean its bad enough u know but makin it up as u go and using his image fam thats just low like wut r u even thinkin girl? single mom of 2 kids yeah right... anyway gotta say, its pretty wild how she got caught too, 4 days into the fake fund and already detectors were onto her smh

OMG I am literally SHOOK by this news!!! Like, how could someone do that?! Creating fake accounts and pretending to be someone else just to scam people out of their hard-earned cash? It's like, so not cool, Maitlin! I mean, I'm all for a good financial help-out, but you gotta be honest about it, ya know?! And using Chloe's image and info to collect donations? That's just heartbreaking . I feel so bad for the actual Childress family who suffered that tragedy last year. And now they're being scammed again by this fake girl?! It's like, what's next?!

I mean, can you even believe this?! Some people are just so desperate they'll do whatever it takes to get their hands on cash. Like, what's wrong with being honest for once? Creating fake accounts and impersonating someone who's passed away is just not cool. And the fact that she was able to scam like $1,500 from all those good people... It's just crazy! I guess you've got to be careful what you share online, 'cause some people might just take advantage of it.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing . It's absolutely appalling that someone would take advantage of a tragedy like the Camp Mystic floods by scamming people who were already going through so much grief and hardship . I mean, can you even imagine how devastating it must be for families who've lost loved ones to have their donations hijacked in such a heinous way? The fact that Maitlin Paige White created fake accounts using the identity of an 18-year-old girl who had just passed away is just mind-boggling . It's so easy to see how this kind of thing can happen, though - people are often in shock and need to get help ASAP, which can lead them to overlook some pretty basic red flags . Anyways, I do hope White gets the justice she deserves for what she's done...

I mean, can you even believe this? Someone scammed people out of thousands just to make ends meet as a single mom. It's like, I get it, desperation can drive people crazy, but come on! Using someone else's identity and story to take advantage of good Samaritans is just not okay. And the fact that she created multiple accounts with different platforms is so shady . The investigators did their job well in connecting her to the fake accounts, though. I'm glad they're holding her accountable for this . Let's hope she gets some help and reflects on her actions before it's too late .

I'm shocked by this story . Creating fake accounts and using someone else's identity to scam people for money is just so unfair . I mean, think about all the good people who actually donated to help the Childress family in need... they could have been scammed too . And it's not like Maitlin Paige White was in a desperate situation or anything; she was a single mom with two young kids, but that's no excuse for taking advantage of others .

It's crazy how some people will do whatever it takes to make a quick buck . I'm just glad the investigators were able to catch her and charge her with a felony count . But what really gets me is that she was able to collect over $1,500 in donations before she got caught . It's just not right .

I hope the community can learn from this and be more cautious when donating online . And as for Maitlin Paige White, I hope she faces some serious consequences for her actions .