A North Carolina woman is accused of scamming multiple people out of donations after falsely claiming she had terminal cancer.
Michelle Lynn Stultz told residents within her Clemmons community that she was dying of cancer and needed money to cover her treatments. A friend of Stultz stepped up to help the so-called ailing woman, giving her nearly $975 on four separate occasions. While it is unclear how the friend uncovered the scam, she confronted Stultz and demanded her money back. The fraudster quickly cut all means of communication with the victim. She was reported to the police on August 27th, who launched an investigation.
During their probe, they discovered that the 46-year-old woman had created a GoFundMe account and was collecting donations there as well to fund fraudulent cancer therapies. Local churches had also lent a hand to Stultz, though it is unknown how much money the scheme brought in.
Stultz has now been charged with four counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses. She was previously arrested for forgery and misdemeanor larceny.
She remains in the Iredell County Detention Center, held on a $5,000 bond.
As of now, investigators have not revealed a motive for Stultz’s deceitful scam.