section_path: Career and deceit/Charitable claims
section_name: Charitable claims
paragraph_text: Charitable claims
  
  As Gibson's medical claims were scrutinised, allegations emerged that charitable contributions raised in 2013 and 2014 were not given to their intended causes. Gibson denied the charges, but Fairfax Media stated that she had "failed to hand over proceeds solicited in the name of five charities" and had "grossly overstated the company's total donations to different causes". Two charities confirmed to The Australian newspaper that Gibson's company had used their names in fundraising drives but had either failed to deliver the donations or had inadequately accounted for the funds.
  
  Gibson had claimed on several occasions in 2014 that The Whole Pantry had donated approximately $300,000 to charities, including maternal healthcare in developing nations, medical support for children with cancer and schools in sub-Saharan Africa. In late 2014, when The Whole Pantry app was pre-installed on the Apple iPad, Gibson claimed through her Instagram account to be working with twenty different charities. Gibson claimed in her LinkedIn professional networking profile, established in February 2013, to be a philanthropist.
  
  In relation to fraud proceedings, Gibson eventually admitted that she had seriously overstated the charitable contributions that had been made. Subsequent media reports in March 2015 stated that it could be ascertained that only an estimated $7,000 of the previously claimed $300,000 had been donated to a total of three charities, with at least $1,000 of the $7,000 reportedly having been donated only after Gibson became aware of the Fairfax investigation into her earlier claims. Another $1,000 of the $7,000 had been donated to a charitable cause under Rothwell's name, rather than Gibson's or the company name.
  
  Also, in March 2015, the parents of a young child with brain cancer whom Gibson had befriended came forward to report that they had been unaware that Gibson had earlier been claiming to be fundraising for their child's treatment on their behalf. The family had never received any funds from her or The Whole Pantry and suspected that Gibson had been using information gleaned from the family's experiences to underpin her own claims to have brain cancer.
  
  As Gibson's medical claims were scrutinised, allegations emerged that charitable contributions raised in 2013 and 2014 were not given to their intended causes. Gibson denied the charges, but Fairfax Media stated that she had "failed to hand over proceeds solicited in the name of five charities" and had "grossly overstated the company's total donations to different causes". Two charities confirmed to The Australian newspaper that Gibson's company had used their names in fundraising drives but had either failed to deliver the donations or had inadequately accounted for the funds.
  
  Gibson had claimed on several occasions in 2014 that The Whole Pantry had donated approximately $300,000 to charities, including maternal healthcare in developing nations, medical support for children with cancer and schools in sub-Saharan Africa. In late 2014, when The Whole Pantry app was pre-installed on the Apple iPad, Gibson claimed through her Instagram account to be working with twenty different charities. Gibson claimed in her LinkedIn professional networking profile, established in February 2013, to be a philanthropist.
  
  In relation to fraud proceedings, Gibson eventually admitted that she had seriously overstated the charitable contributions that had been made. Subsequent media reports in March 2015 stated that it could be ascertained that only an estimated $7,000 of the previously claimed $300,000 had been donated to a total of three charities, with at least $1,000 of the $7,000 reportedly having been donated only after Gibson became aware of the Fairfax investigation into her earlier claims. Another $1,000 of the $7,000 had been donated to a charitable cause under Rothwell's name, rather than Gibson's or the company name.
  
  Also, in March 2015, the parents of a young child with brain cancer whom Gibson had befriended came forward to report that they had been unaware that Gibson had earlier been claiming to be fundraising for their child's treatment on their behalf. The family had never received any funds from her or The Whole Pantry and suspected that Gibson had been using information gleaned from the family's experiences to underpin her own claims to have brain cancer.