Yahoo News What happens to money donated to Jay Slater's GoFundMe page?
Debbie Duncan, the mother of missing Jay Slater, said that the money will be used to fund her stay on Tenerife as the search for her son continues.
The GoFundMe site for missing Lancashire teenager Jay Slater has now raised more than £40,000 - after his mother revealed they would be using part of the funds to stay in Tenerife and continue searching for the 19-year-old.
Slater, from Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, disappeared on Monday 17 June after leaving the NRG music festival at the Papagayo nightclub in Tenerife, which he had attended with two friends.
He had attempted to walk back to his hotel after missing his bus, a journey that would have taken 11 hours by foot.
Donations flooded in after a fundraiser was set up by Lucy Law, Slater’s friend and the last person to speak to him. The GoFundMe appeal, “Get Jay Slater home”, had raised over £40,000 by the morning of 28 June and Slater’s mother, Debbie Duncan, has said that the money will be used to fund her stay in Tenerife as the search for her son continues.
In an update on Thursday, Duncan thanked people for their support. She said the family are “not losing hope that we will find Jay and return home together”.
Confirming the use of the funds, she wrote: “I wanted to share that these funds will be used to support the mountain rescue teams who are tirelessly searching for Jay. Additionally, since our stay in Tenerife needs to be extended, we will also use the funds to cover accommodation and food expenses.”
She added that part of the funds will also be used to fly the loved ones of people supporting her to Tenerife “so we can support each other during these dark times”.
Watch: Former British police investigator outlines 'two options' which may have happened to missing Jay Slater in Tenerife
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The fundraiser itself has previously come in for criticism and been linked to unfounded conspiracy theories about his disappearance, including how the money raised might be used.
Duncan has criticised online trolls comparing her to Karen Matthews, who was involved in a fake kidnapping plot of her nine-year-old daughter in 2008, telling the Daily Mail: "People keep saying on social media why aren’t I up there [helping the search] and calling me the new Karen Matthews, I just can’t face it.”
What checks does GoFundMe have in place?
On its website, GoFundMe provides a set of verification guidelines for users' campaigns, asking them to say who they are, who they are raising the funds for, their relationship to the beneficiary, how the funds will be spent, and how the funds will be delivered to the beneficiary.
GoFundMe told Yahoo News in a statement: "We are in touch with Jay Slater's mother, Debbie, and working with her to keep everyone updated on how their donations will be used in the search. For now, the money is with GoFundMe as we work through the next steps."
GoFundMe states that an "overwhelming majority of fundraisers on the site are safe and legitimate, as fraudulent fundraisers make up less than one-tenth of 1% of all fundraisers" on its platform.
"In the rare instance that someone does create a misleading fundraiser with the intention of taking advantage of others’ generosity, GoFundMe takes swift action to resolve the issue," it says on its website.
It says it relies on its community of users to flag suspected fraudulent cases and urges them to contact them here. Police and other law enforcement officers can contact GoFundMe here.
As soon as fundraisers start receiving money on the site, they request a withdrawal at any time, which does not affect the metre displayed on the main page showing total progress.
Users can click "withdraw" while logged into their account and follow the instructions and send the money directly to their bank account, which should take 2-5 business days to arrive.
Read more:
Jay Slater detective ‘wants to speak to two key people’ about missing teen’s disappearance (Yahoo News)
Jay Slater's employer urges people to stop sending them 'cruel' emails (Sky News)
Jay Slater's mum's heartbreaking admission as family swerves press conference (Stoke-on-Trent Live)
