‘MONEY BOMB’

Trump Campaign Duped Donors, Including Dying Ones, With Scammy Payment Scheme: NYT

A cancer patient in hospice found that he had been bilked for three times his monthly income.

Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential campaign duped donors into making repeated contributions when they thought they were signing on for a one-time donation, The New York Times reports. By making the default option for financial support “Make this a monthly recurring donation,” the campaign reportedly put supporters down for multiple donations of the same value as the first—known in internal campaign communications as a “money bomb.” So many donors felt taken in by the scheme that the Trump campaign was forced to make 530,000 refunds worth some $64 million. Donors who claimed they were victimized by the scheme included Stacy Blatt, a 63-year-old cancer patient in hospice who made a $500 contribution then found himself unable to pay his utility bills and rent when the transaction repeated, costing him $3,000 in less than 30 days. His fixed income was only $1,000 per month.