Brighton police: GoFundMe breast cancer page a fake; working on refunds

BRIGHTON, Mich. -- (WXYZ) -- The Brighton Police Department is investigating a fraudulent GoFundMe page that was set up to help a breast cancer patient.

Police said they believe the account called “Candace Kicks Cancer,” which claims to be raising money for a woman who has stage four breast cancer, is a fake.

GoFundMe records show the account raised $31,645 from nearly 400 people since April 2017.

Police say the investigation is ongoing but they have verified from independent sources that the account is fraudulent.

There is an outcry of anger on social media against Candace Streng now that this investigation is underway. Her friends tell 7 Action News she deceived them.

"We were recently informed that our 'friend,' Candace lied for several years about struggling with stage four breast cancer. We let her into our homes, our families and our checkbooks. We had no prior knowledge of her deceit and are fully cooperating with the investigation. We sincerely hope Candace gets the help she so desperately needs," said a group calling themselves Candace's South Lyon Play Group.