Modern beggars of the 21st century or an all-out scam?

It is said that humans are social animals and they can’t live in isolation. Interconnection and interdependence are the prominent characteristics of a human being. That’s why, in hours of need, we come to help others. In modern society, when we are reachable to every household digitally, the instruments of donations have also been digitized. Anybody who needs any help from people can give a call to crowd funding on digital platforms and raise funds accordingly. But, in recent times, there have been incidents where people have raised crores of rupees through emotional appeal and have used them on their personal expenses.

Crowding funding to study Human Development at Harvard University

Recently, Humans Of Bombay, a photo blog social media handle, shared a post related to fundraising on Ketto (a crowdfunding platform). The post reads, “Muskaan is 22 years old & requires Rs. 23 lakhs to complete her Master’s education at Harvard. Let’s help her fulfil her dream”.

In the details given on the crowd funding site, a girl appeals to raise funds for her education at Harvard University. She writes “I have recently secured admission in the Human Development and Education program with a concentration in counselling”.

“I have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and have been awarded a merit certificate for securing the first position in my first semester in Psychology and for security a merit position under 27 institutions at Panjab university”, she adds.

To raise funds, an emotional video has also been posted on the Instagram handle of Humans Of Bombay. In the video she shared her dream to become a counsellor and in this journey, she applied for Masters in Psychology at Harvard.

Also Read: Rana Ayyub could land in jail on Ketto’s complaint of misappropriating Covid donations

Crowdfunding: A need or a Scam?

After the post, netizens reacted in different ways calling it a scam. A social media handle, @BefittingFacts, comparing the data dissimilarity called it a scam. The post states, “Muskan Bawa is collecting Rs. 25 Lakh in Milaap (a crowdfunding platform) and Rs. 23.62 lakh in Ketto for her ‘Education’. In Milaap she is from Dharamshala and in Ketto she is from Chandigarh.”

One netizen shared her modelling photo and said, “So Humans Of Bombay has made up a fake story about Muskaan Bawa who is a model by the profession that she needs money for education at Harvard. Money which can be easily attained by Loan. Dear Mumbai Police Please look into this fraud practice”

https://twitter.com/FakeRainaNepfew/status/1548168938852233221

When controversy expanded and netizens tagged authorities demanded action against the ‘fraud’, Humans Of Bombay shared a clarification post on the discrepancies in address and funding. Regarding the address dissimilarity, it said, “we have also noticed a miscommunication about Muskaan’s location on another crowdfunding- this stemmed from the fact that she shared with us that a few years ago, she moved to Chandigarh with her mom, and this information wasn’t shared with the platform”.

Regarding funding discrepancies, it said, “Muskaan is running multiple fundraisers to cover her cost of INR. 73 Lacs (USD 91,788) Her INR. 15 Lacs loan (USD 19000) only covers 1/5th of her expenses”.

The clarification states that the total amount needed to cover her Master’s in Psychology at Harvard is INR 73 Lakhs and she intends to raise the fund through the public. The discrepancies in the information of funds, profession, and residence have raised some serious doubt about the authenticity of the claim.

There are other similar incidents, where people have been fooled emotionally in the name of philanthropy. Rana Ayyub, a global anti-Hindu propagandist, raised crores of rupees from Ketto in the name of helping people during the Covid Pandemic and spent it on personal expenses. Similarly, in the case of Muskaan Bawa, the opening facts have raised doubt about crowdfunding and people are calling it a 21st-century scam.

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