Jason Vanporppal’s scam drama takes unusual turn

Update: 12:27am Wednesday, 1 July: Jason ‘unmasks’ alleged scammer

For those who have been following the events surrounding Jason Vanporppal’s scam situation, things didn’t turn out as expected.

No, the alleged scammer didn’t pay back the money. At 5pm on Tuesday (30 June), there was nothing. Zilch. Zero. No dinero.

Following another 2am call, US time, more excuses and lies ensued. The next morning, Jason found that she blocked him on Facebook and WhatsApp.

And so what did he do? Jason went Magnum P.I. on the alleged scammer. “I can finally say her name. Her name is Haley.” With that one morsel of information, he found out Haley’s full name, ID number, and home address. 

“I was able to find out that she served time in prison already, for fraud and other things that she had going on,” explained Jason. Haley’s a very busy woman; she also has a warrant out for her arrest.

Without divulging too much, Jason said he will be taking legal action.

The silver lining

Despite the scam drama, Jason shared with his social media followers the next morning that an anonymous donation had been made.

“Someone anonymously donated $1,500 to the skate park in Uganda. It’s pretty crazy because of whatever has been happening the past couple of days, it’s pretty much just come back to this moment,” Jason enthused.

Thanks to the donation, Jason announced that the GoFundMe is in the final stretch of reaching its goal.

US skateboarder Jason Vanporppal gives women 24 hours to return R25K

You know that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you realise you’ve been scammed? You did everything right. It seemed legit. You trusted that person had good intentions.

That’s what US skateboarder Jason Vanporppal must have felt when the gravity of the situation dawned on him. Fresh from skateboarding from Uganda to South Africa to raise funds for Uganda’s first public skatepark, the content creator took his plight to social media.

I got scammed!

In an Instagram post, Jason explained his predicament. “This is a video I thought I’d never make. I got scammed.” He continued to say that a lady helped him raise funds and lock down sponsorships for his GoFundMe.

Jason did a sponsorship video with a company; a deal she brokered, and received R25,000.  “I trusted her with my heart. I trusted her with everything,” he said. 

They met on Facebook

She reached out to him on social media. They spoke over the phone. There was no reason to doubt her. “A lot of people are asking why I trusted this random lady. It’s the same question I asked myself. She just seemed like she cared,” Jason admitted.

The woman received the money on his behalf, and the second he asked her for the cash for the GoFundMe, excuses started rolling in. Jason shared screenshots of WhatsApp conversations between them. She was sick. Her phone was stolen. She was admitted to hospital.

Towards the end of the post, he spoke directly to his alleged scammer: “You have 24 hours to return this R25,000. This is a lot of money that wasn’t just meant for me, but for disadvantaged kids.”

Show me the money

In his next post, Jason updated his followers. The woman contacted him. They hopped on a call. She promised to return the money to the company that did the sponsorship deal with Jason. 

With a 5pm, Tuesday (30 June), deadline, Jason wasn’t sure if she’d stick to her side of the deal. From her driver allegedly stealing the money to the brand company not being happy with his content, the lies continued.

Now it’s a wait-and-see game. Come 5pm, all eyes will be on Jason Vanporppal’s social media accounts.

Sign up to Time Out Cape Town's free newsletter for expert recommendations on new things to do, see, eat and drink in the Mother City. You can also follow Time Out Cape Town on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok!