HOUSTON – We see them popping up all the time after tragedy strikes -- crowdfunding campaigns on sites such as GoFundMe or Kickstarter,set up to help raise money for victims.
But how do you know the money you're donating is ever going to make it to the person you intended to receive it?
For a family in Taylor, Texas, the kindness of a stranger turned out to be more than they bargained for after a tragic loss.
Just one year ago, Moses Perez and his fiancé, Jessica Rodriguez were preparing for the birth of their third child, a baby girl.
"She was really excited. Our previous babies were small babies and she was wanting a chunky baby and we got the chunky baby," said Moses.
The 26-year-old mother with the mega-watt smile, gave birth to a healthy daughter named Alyssa.
Moses continues, "Labor went fine...she was smiling, happy as can be. Like any other mother would be."
But, two days later, Jessica's dreams of marriage and motherhood were cut short. It started with severe back pain, then Jessica suffered a fall.
"Her right main artery running to her kidney ruptured and by the time they actually realized what was going on, she had lost too much blood," said Moses.
Jessica died on Aug. 30, 2014. Leaving Moses, and their four children to mourn.
Devastated by her death, Moses leaned on family and friends for strength.
And then a woman named Fallon mouton—the sister of one of Jessica's co-workers--stepped in to help the family. Even though she had never met the family, she offered to help raise money for funeral expenses by opening a GoFundMe account in Jessica's name.
"We didn't really know the individuals that well either. I figured it was just one good hand helping out another good hand," continued Moses.
The donations came rolling in, and in less than 10 days, $4,600 was raised. But Mouton was missing and so was the money.
Moses reached out to her, with no success.
"I attempted to reach out to her. I had her number, I had Facebook, I had everything. I was blocked on the phone number. I was blocked on her Facebook."
Lt. Chris Lohse of HPD Financial Crimes says there are ways to avoid this type of fraud. But donators have to the right questions.
One question he suggests asking is to find out if the person collecting the money really knows the family they are starting the campaign for. Next, he says ask if there is a bank account set up in person's name, instead of a crowdfunding site. That way, you have a more assurance that the money will get to the intended party.
Lohse states these simple questions can keep you from being scammed.
"Because the likelihood of you getting that money back once you donate is very, very low."
Although GoFundMe doesn't police donation campaigns opened on its site, the company suggests you, "only donate to people you personally know." There is also a link on the site where you can report campaigns you believe are fraudulent.
Our NBC affiliate, KXAN, in Austin later tracked Mouton to Abbeyville, Louisiana.
When asked if she stole the money, Mouton replied: No I did not. I have no banking accounts, no checking accounts, no nothing. I have no reason to steal any money from anybody.
But authorities say she did steal the money. Mouton was later arrested and charged with online impersonation. The charge was dropped and she was eventually charged with theft. She admitted to taking the money and was sentenced to six months in jail.
Mouton did pay the money back, but it's being held by the Williamson County District Attorney's office as evidence. Moses and his children will likely never see a dime of the funds raised for their family.
Now he has advice for other families—trusting the kindness of strangers.
"Make sure you know who the individual. Just do your research on the person that is setting it up for you."
The Williamson County D.A. says it is in the process of contacting the donors to Jessica's campaign. But since most people donate anonymously, it's been hard to track them down. Since the people who donated are the victims of Mouton's fraud, they are the ones who will have to give the D.A.'s office permission to turn their donations over to Moses and his family, as they had originally intended. But, until the donors are found, the money will remain as evidence.
If you or someone you know donated money to Jessica's campaign, contact the Williamson County D. A.'s office. Or, if you believe you have been the victim of another GoFundMe scam, contact www.gofundme.com/safety.