E-Spanger (electronic spare changer) pronounced E-spain-ger is a person who solicits virtually for the immediate donation of money or other gratuity via online personal funding or crowdfunding websites for questionable or unverifiable private or social causes. This may be done by social media or email (asking, requesting, coercing (badgering), sympathy appeals). It is the habitual manipulative or coercive use of another individual's sympathy, guilt, or insecurity for monetary gain. It is a form of emotional and financial abuse - in some cases, fraud or misappropriation of funding.
My Facebook friend, Jill, created a gofundme page to ask for money for her surgery explaining that she was uninsured and had a life-threatening illness. She received thousands of dollars from many sympathetic friends when I found out later that the money was actually used to pay for an elective, cosmetic procedure, her last month’s rent and some Star Wars and Star Trek collectibles. She’s an e-spanger.
by gofundyourself August 10, 2016