A World War II veteran from California fell on some pretty hard times when scammers took away $10,000 that he meant to put towards retirement, until a couple of strangers got together to gift him enough money to cover what he lost.
Floyd Smith, 92, of Fresno, California, received a check for $12,472.60 on Monday from hundreds of people who donated to his GoFundMe page and heard his story, ABC News reported.
Two years ago, Smith lost $10,000 in retirement funds after he loaned the money to a man who never paid the money back. The man, Mark Gleizer, had assisted in getting him new windows for his home.
“So I thought he’s a nice guy, you know?” Smith told KFSN.
When Gleizer did not repay him, Smith took him to small claims court. A judge ruled that Gleizer repay Smith $7,630, but Smith claimed Gleizer had not repaid him, according to court documents.
The crowdfunded money came as a surprise to Smith.
“Isn’t that amazing? So many good people in the world,” Smith told KFSN on Monday.