Woman faking cancer set up GoFundMe to get cash after she was ‘diagnosed,’ NC cops say
A woman said she needed money after becoming terminally ill — but it was a lie, North Carolina officials said.
Michelle Lynn Stultz, 46, was faking a cancer diagnosis when an acquaintance gave her hundreds of dollars, believing it would help alleviate costs linked to supposed “medical treatments,” according to the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office.
“When she learned Stultz was not suffering from cancer, she confronted Stultz, and asked for the money back,” deputies said in a Dec. 16 news release. “She said the suspect stopped all communications with her after this.”
In its news release, the Charlotte-area sheriff’s office didn’t list an attorney for Stultz, who is facing four counts of obtaining property by false pretense. She was arrested after officials said they received a report about her in August.
“The victim reported on four different occasions, she gave the suspect, Michelle Lynn Stultz approximately 975.00 dollars after she was led to believe Stultz was suffering from financial hardships due to medical treatments arising after Stultz had been diagnosed with cancer,” deputies said.
While investigating, officials said they discovered Stultz had asked for cash from churches and social media users. Also, on the fundraising website GoFundMe, “she led donors to believe she was suffering from financial hardship after being diagnosed with terminal cancer,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials said Stultz was taken into custody near her hometown of Clemmons, outside of Winston-Salem. She was later taken to the Iredell County jail in Statesville, roughly 40 miles north of Charlotte.
Officials didn’t reveal in the news release how much Stultz is accused of receiving.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 8:15 AM with the headline "Woman faking cancer set up GoFundMe to get cash after she was ‘diagnosed,’ NC cops say."
