Several days after a story aired regarding a mother whose daughter was barred from a friend's birthday party due to being unable to bring an expensive present, the mother has admitted that the story was a fake, Israel Hayom reported.
After the story aired, ex-Big Brother star Guy Eitan collected a sum of 84,000 NIS for the family through crowdfunding efforts. Eitan, however, would not transfer the money without a face-to-face meeting with the mother.
The mother then admitted to Eitan that her story was a fraud, an admission which Eitan passed on to his Instagram followers.
"The mother has admitted that this was indeed a fraud," he said in a Monday evening video clip. "If there was a body here, we could make a Netflix series about it - that's how crazy this story is."
"In any case, ZAKA, you have 84,000 NIS. I want to send you a bank transfer tomorrow - please contact me, and a big thank you to everyone who donated. I love you guys."
Earlier on Monday, Eitan revealed a written exchange with the mother, during which he tried to persuade her to accept the funds and requested to meet her in person. The mother told him that she is "not in an emotional state in which she can meet anyone," and that she is going through "hell." She also said that she would not take the money.
The mother, who spoke to the media, initially insisted that she was not disclosing details so as to protect her daughter's privacy, Israel Hayom noted. However, on Monday evening it was revealed that the conversation had been faked, for the purpose of raising funds - an attempt which spiraled out of control and turned into a mass crowdfunding campaign.