Scammers steal cancer treatment donations

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — A Twin Falls High School senior who is battling cancer for a second time is also now dealing with scammers stealing donations to pay for her treatment.

“Makes me kind of sad, and we kind of realized that there are people out there that have the heart to steal from kids who need it,” said 17-year-old Harper Walker.

Walker was diagnosed with cancer back in 2022. After being in remission for over a year, her mother, Niki Humpherys, said the cancer had returned.

“We did a few scans, and they saw some spots that we ended up needing to check,” Humpherys said. “It turned out that she does have a reoccurrence, and we found that out in November 2024.”

Vanessa Martin is a close family friend. She helped launch a donation campaign for Harper’s cancer treatment.

“Insurance doesn’t cover everything and so being a friend,” Martin said. “I thought maybe what we can do is try to cover some of the treatments.”

Martin set up a direct fund through Gem State Infusions, the facility where Harper gets IV treatments. The campaign allows donations through Venmo, but that is where the issues began.

“I got a weird call from a friend, and she said, ‘I don’t think they’re accepting donations right now, and it’s asking me for the last four digits of their phone number,’” Martin said. “And I thought wait a minute, businesses don’t have that verification, that’s a person verification. As soon as I searched for Gem State Infusion, I found copycat accounts.”

According to Martin, scammers created usernames similar to the facility and used photos of Harper to lure people, stealing hundreds of dollars.

“If they weren’t taken, they would cover the vitamin C Infusions that I needed for my past treatment,” Walker said. “When I haven’t been able to eat, they’d give me nutrients, or when I’ve been lethargic for days, I really needed that.”

“To know that somebody would do that to us and my daughter is devastating,” Humphreys said.

KMVT contacted the Twin Falls Police Department, which confirmed they are investigating a reported Venmo scam. Meanwhile, Harper is still in need of donations to continue her IV infusion treatments as she begins cycle three of chemotherapy.

“The donations are critical to her getting the IV’s,” Humphreys said. “They’re not cheap, they’re around $200 and she needs two per week.”

“The reality is if her body is not strong enough, they won’t give her chemo,” Martin said. “Being able to battle this cancer is dependent on her having every tool in the toolbox.”

For more information on safely donating directly to Harper’s fund, contact Gem State Infusions.

For more information on how to spot scams on Venmo: Common Scams on Venmo – Venmo.

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