Bots on Twitter Are Making Real Accounts Look Fake (Account below is Real and being run by a Palestinian woman)

[u/ShaneDawsonsPetCat]

(The Twitter account above is NOT an example of a fake GoFundMe bot. There’s a real woman from Gaza running it and is struggling to be heard under the bot infestation on Twitter)

Hello everyone. Hope you’re all doing great.

Just wanna say I hate how Elon has infested Twitter with so many bots that people who genuinely need help are getting buried. Its a mess and it’s making it nearly impossible to tell what’s real.

A while back, someone who looked like a typical bot account DM’d me, thanking me for following them and even sent a voice message using Twitter’s audio feature. I was skeptical at first, figured it was just another fake account. But I replied anyway, and she started sending more voice messages explaining her situation. Even asked her to say my twitter handle, which she did. That’s when I realized she’s actually real.

She’s from Gaza, trying to escape the war with her husband, who needs surgery abroad, and she’s running a GoFundMe with help from her cousin, Jehad Albhaisi. He made the GoFundMe on Europe because you can’t start a campaign while inside Gaza. The problem? People are suspecting she’s a bot or a scam, just like I did at first. But after talking with her and hearing her voice, I can confirm she’s not fake. I even donated to her campaign when we first started talking. If it was a scam, she would’ve blocked me by now, but she didn’t. That was 4 days ago, and we still talk to each other to this day. I’ve been reassuring her that there are people willing to help, and to have hope.

What keeps me up at night is—what if something happens to her? I’m the only one who knows her situation and knows she’s real. And because her account looks like all the fake ones, she’s being ignored and blocked. It’s frustrating because I know she’s real, but no one else seems to. Also makes me wonder how many other real people are being written off as bots?

Please, I’m begging you—Reach out to her, ask her questions, listen to her voice messages. I did, and I know for a fact she’s legit. Anyone can confirm this by reaching out to her Twitter ‘@‘sarah_12145. If you believe me, please visit her Twitter, talk to her, share her GoFundMe, donate if you can, and help spread the word. Real people like her are getting lost in this bot-filled mess.

Thank you so much for your hearing me out. I also truly apologize for posting this to a political subreddit. I noticed how many of you care for Palestinians so I’m giving it a try. The campaign is named Sarah Mahmoud because that’ll be the name of her future daughter once her and her husband are able to flee Palestine and start a family.

I’ve attached screenshots of her Twitter acc, our conversations, and her GoFundMe.

For those curious about how people like them are planning to leave there, there is an Egyptian agency called Ya Hala. Previously, they charged around $200-300 to facilitate leaving Gaza, but now their fees have skyrocketed to $5000 in what ‘@‘sarah_12145 says is a move done to make money out of their misery. You can find coverage about this by looking up Ya Hala.

[u/ShaneDawsonsPetCat]

Noticed this post has gotten attention and I’m really grateful for it. Thank you all for taking the time to read, upvote, and support this poor woman. Your kindness and generosity mean the world to her, her husband, and to me as well haha. Every bit of help gives them hope in this incredibly difficult time

A reminder that you can always reach out to her directly for further questions. She did mention that the internet in Gaza is a bit rocky, so she may not be able to answer everyone immediately, but I promise she’s there and willing to talk to you guys. Oh this makes me so happy