The newest way for people to get help with their financial problems is to beg online, a practice known as "cyberbegging" or ""digital panhandling."
Web sites like Begslist, Cyberbeg, and DonateMoney2me.com give people the ability to log on, tell their sad story, and ask for a handout.
National City resident Heather Strommen posted "Christmas to Remember" on craigslist.org and was able to get a fresh-cut Christmas tree. "Somebody sent me $20 in the mail," she said with a bright smile.
Strommen said her friend suggested cyberbegging, and she tried it , hoping someone would have an open heart and mind.
"My income is very limited and my kids have been through so much over the last couple years, and I would love for them to have a great Christmas because they deserve it," she said.
But Sandy Maynes, from the San Diego Coalition for the Homeless, warns potential donors to be skeptical of Web sites specializing in hard-luck stories. Maynes recommends that "anybody who wants to donate and help should go to a reputable organization."
Strommen, for her part, says the World Wide Web, has already granted her family one of their wishes, but she is hopeful for more.
"There are people out there with big hearts," she said.
Web sites like Begslist, Cyberbeg, and DonateMoney2me.com give people the ability to log on, tell their sad story, and ask for a handout.
National City resident Heather Strommen posted "Christmas to Remember" on craigslist.org and was able to get a fresh-cut Christmas tree. "Somebody sent me $20 in the mail," she said with a bright smile.
Strommen said her friend suggested cyberbegging, and she tried it , hoping someone would have an open heart and mind.
"My income is very limited and my kids have been through so much over the last couple years, and I would love for them to have a great Christmas because they deserve it," she said.
But Sandy Maynes, from the San Diego Coalition for the Homeless, warns potential donors to be skeptical of Web sites specializing in hard-luck stories. Maynes recommends that "anybody who wants to donate and help should go to a reputable organization."
Strommen, for her part, says the World Wide Web, has already granted her family one of their wishes, but she is hopeful for more.
"There are people out there with big hearts," she said.
