News

U.S. Truckers Convoy Is a Gold Mine for Grifters


A bustling right-wing convoy — modeled after Canada’s anti-vaxx truck protests—There are conservatives who worry about clogging the roads in the United States. Followers suggested tapping Super Bowlthe southern borderand Washington DC, so far there are no clear plans for a rally.

But the lack of concrete action hasn’t stopped the American convoy from becoming the dairy cow for those promoting it online. An online fundraiser has raised nearly $70,000, although the convoy’s most famous organizers claim they’re not asking for the money. This isn’t the only campaign monetizing the embryo protest. A variety of crypto fundraisers, dubious crowdfunding campaigns, and fast-moving commodity companies are also seeking cash for the convoy.

Jared Holt, a resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Laboratory, said fundraisers are outpacing planning efforts.

“There have certainly been characters who have tried to regain the excitement of what we have seen in Canada and wish to replicate it in the United States, and use it to make money for themselves or it seems to fundraiser for something that isn’t really going to happen,” Holt told The Daily Beast.

The proposed US convoy would be an imitation of a Similar campaign in Canada, where drivers parked in the capital Ottawa to honk their horns, obstructing traffic for days. The Canadian convoy is ostensibly to protest the mandatory vaccination of cross-border truckers, although the protesters aren’t exactly a role model for Canada’s trucking profession: more than 90 percent Canada’s cross-border truckers are practically vaccinated, and many of those joining the convoy are not professional truckers but advocates of personal driving. (“Private cars and pickup trucks outnumber the heavy trucks that made up the fleet in its early days,” The New York Times report.)

Other prominent convoy promoters appear to be scam Facebook accounts.

However, the Canadian convoy has become a legitimate target for the United States, especially when it comes to funding the Canadian government. US dollars flooded the convoy backing coffers on crowdfunding site GoFundMe this month. Analysis from CTV News of Canada This week suggests that American donors are outnumbering Canadians. Although not all donors listed their locations, 52% of donors identified in the CTV analysis were US.

When GoFundMe banned those fundraisers for violating terms of service, US politicians announced an investigation into the closure. “The fact that @gofundme directed $9 million in donations sent to support truckers is an act of fraud,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis tweeted last week, calling for GoFundMe to issue a refund, even though the company has pledged to do so.

After GoFundMe pulled out of the caravan fundraising, backers launched new campaigns on GiveSendGo, a Christian crowdfunding website. But it’s not clear if there are any definite links to the organized protests.

The organizer of one of America’s largest fundraisers, which amassed more than $69,000 on Thursday, is neither American nor a truck driver. Instead, his social media indicates that he is a Canadian mental health counselor. The man could not be reached for comment, but has purchased three domains for the “Convoy to DC” websites.

That fundraiser joins a crowdfunding on GiveSendGo. Another US fundraiser, linked to a small Facebook group, has raised more than $8,000, some of which will be spent on an “event venue facility,” though the group hasn’t announced it yet. any event, date or place. A third, without even promoting an affiliated Facebook group, raised nearly $4,000.

Other fundraisers have also asked US convoy supporters to open their wallets. Following the GoFundMe ban (which the company claims lacks a clear money distribution model), new campaigns have popped up on crypto exchanges. One, for Canadian truckers, has raised more than $713,000. (Mimic fundraisers for US convoys subsequently flooded crypto sites, but few seem to have attracted donations.)

The monetization campaign even spread to merchandising sites like Etsy, where some hastily painted stickers and t-shirts celebrate America’s still-nonexistent “Liberty Convoy.” In a 45,000-member Telegram group for the American convoy, a t-shirt maker claimed that he was actually based in Israel, not the US.

It doesn’t help that the proposed US convoy has no official plan or itinerary. On Thursday night, a planners conference call announced their intention to begin driving from California to DC in late February, arriving after early March. Meanwhile, the movement’s closest relative to a top organizer (a Facebook group with nearly 60,000 members) proposed a rally in California on March 4 and 5, but did not announce it. Definitely plan for a trip. The group has also distanced itself from fundraisers.

“We want [be] very clear that at this point,” one group admin, who did not return a request for comment, wrote in early February. “THIS group does NOT have a sponsor account or donation link posted. We do NOT donate. If that changes, it will be posted here and to our Facebook group. Please research who you are sending money to if you belong to other groups and make sure they are legit. ”

However, the group did offer fuel reimbursements to truckers who attended the event in California.

Holt notes: A lack of cohesion has hampered the US convoy’s efforts so far.

“One of the big hurdles that has prevented anything from really being successful is the lack of general agreement on its form,” Holt said. “You have some groups that are trying to encourage people to go to the Super Bowl and cause a spectacle there. Other groups say the trucks should go to the southern border and make claims there. You’ve received calls for protests in state capitals and, of course, calls to start convoys that end in Washington DC. ”

The fundraiser raised $69,000, for example, and it was unclear where and when a trucker rally in the US would take place. “We are working to try and achieve something that will work out,” reads the description of the Canadian-run fundraiser. “It’s hard because right now there are so many groups trying to figure out what to do. Some want to go now, Some say Feb 12, some say Mar 1 or Mar 7. I’ll update when I know more. ”

While that organizer’s Facebook profile appears authentic (despite being Canadian), other well-known organizers appear less established. One of the largest US convoy groups on Facebook didn’t start as a truck group, but as a general right-wing page that has been trying to organize massive protests for over a year, Chicago Free Media first reported.

Before renaming a truck group in late January, the group called themselves “Save The Flag” and advertised a series of failed rallies such as “TRUCKER STRIKE WORLD-WIDE August 2021”, “Worldwide September 7 Disease Campaign Day”, and several Arkansas-based protests against COVID-19 precautions. (The group, which peaked at more than 100,000 members, was removed.)

In a 45,000-member Telegram group for the American convoy, a t-shirt maker claimed that he was actually based in Israel, not the US.

Other prominent convoy promoters appear to be scam Facebook accounts. An operator of two major Canadian convoys is an account posing as another woman, Grid News’ Steve Reilly reported this week. (The impersonation account has been removed.) Elsewhere, The researchers noted that another operator of a large convoy appeared to be using a computer-generated face as a profile photo, suggesting that the profile may not be that of a real person. His account was later deleted.

Holt warns that the fake accounts and fundraisers offer no guarantee that a US rally will be a foolhardy act. The convoy is a hot topic in the entertainment media, with figures like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson promoting a parody version of the protest in Canada.

“Fox News hosts and people like Steve Bannon are trying to generate interest in participating in this,” Holt said. “But there are still a lot of question marks around this.”





Source link

news7h

News7h: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button