Fodie fell victim to online fraud and needs $3,600 to avoid eviction!

UPDATE: You are all AMAZING! We have almost hit the goal of 3,600 to save Fodie from eviction, and if we can get up to $7k, he'll be caught up on all the debt (overdue bills) he fell into due to the fraud. THANK YOU! It's so uplifting to see people helping a stranger like this!

Hello. My name is Paul Banman.

I have launched this gofundme to help Fodie, a local elder, who, after losing months of his income to fraud, is facing the very real risk of eviction and homelessness.

There's more about me at the bottom.

A local tenant advocacy organization is working to persuade Fodie's landlord to not evict him if his overdue rent can be paid.

Fodie needs $3,600 for three months of overdue rent, and if we can raise up to $7,000, that would help him pay the bills he is also behind on due to the money he lost to the fraudster.

The funds raised will:

Every elderly person we see living on the streets of Victoria is someone who formerly had a home and lost it.

Let's try to help this vulnerable gentleman avoid that fate.

Here's Fodie's story. Please help him if you can.

My name is Fodie. I am 61 years old and even though I have been though countless trials and tribulations in my life, this is one of the most difficult moments I have ever encountered.

I was unexpectedly diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2024. It turned my whole world upside down. While I was recovering from chemotherapy, I was isolated in my home and spent a lot of time online to pass the day. One day, someone named Elon Musk messaged me on TikTok. He asked me about myself and I shared how difficult my life had been for the previous year. He said he wanted to help me, and I believed him.

Over the next months, 'Elon' promised me that money and a tesla car were being sent to me, but that I needed to send Apple Gift Cards to him in order to unlock the funds he promised. I believed everything would be okay once I received the help he promised, and I kept sending money. I thought that each time I sent money would be the last step needed to unlock the gifts he was promising. He sent what I believed to be his ID and documentation verifying what he told me. I do not have very much experience with computers and truly believed what I was looking at was legitimate proof of what I was being told.

I sent him a lot of money over several months. I wasn't able to pay my rent for the last 3 months and I am behind on bills. I thought this was short term pain for a life-changing gift. His promises never came true. I was the victim of fraud. It is very painful to realize that. I have reported it to the police and have a file number with them.

I am being evicted. I want to raise money in a last-ditch effort to convince my landlord to allow me to stay in my home. I am a simple person. I am an honest person. I am not able to work because of the physical disabilities cancer left me with, which was never my plan.

If I do get evicted, I will use the funds to secure a new home or keep myself safe while I am without a home.

If you are able, please help. I am very embarrassed about losing my money to this fraud, and I am terrified of potentially becoming homeless. I will be forever grateful for your assistance to avoid this fate.

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Fodie's full name and other specific details have been kept private to protect the victim's safety and security following the fraud.

More about me, Paul Banman:

I'm the beardy guy here: Starlight Asbestos Exposure News

That was the point at which I became an unprofessional tenant advocate. I have since helped 100+ of my neighbors with tenancy disputes, and a few other community members to avoid evictions.

I built this site to help neighbors: tenantsofstarlight.com

And this one (under construction): tenantsofstarlight.org

My mother has been a victim of fraud. My wife's mother has recently been a victim of fraud. I have been a victim of business fraud.

17,000 seniors in Canada are the victim of fraud ever year - but that's just the ones officially reported. ~95% are unreported, for a total of closer to 340,000 victims every year - in Canada alone!

It is far too easy to judge others for being overly trusting or naïve, and easy, in hindsight, to recognize our own mistakes when we are fraud victims. Seniors tend to be more trusting, less technologically literate to recognize the red flags, and the fraudsters can be very skillful and persuasive.

Talk to the elders in your life about how to spot the red flags and avoid falling victim to these online frauds.