There is a time when Karyn Bosnak couldn't pay a $59 bill at the grocery store. She was officially broke. She didn't have enough money to get on the subway, but she looked rich. She was a television producer, earned $900 a week, and had a closetful of designer labels like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. But she also had a $20,221.40 credit card bill and an empty bank account. Karyn decided that it was time for a change. She built a website and simply asked people to help her out by sending her a dollar or two. On the site, Karyn honestly explained her situation. "If 20,000 people gave me just $1, I'd be home free." Amazingly, it worked. Her website was visited by more than a million people. Although most donors just gave a few dollars, one generous donor sent $1,000. She was on TV and in newspapers and magazines. She was offered a book deal and a movie contract. And of course, she was able to pay off her credit card debt. She also sold her designer clothes on eBay. In her closet, where the Gucci purse once sat, Karyn keeps all the letters that people have sent her. It's hard to understand why so many people helped a total stranger pay off her huge credit card bill. Karyn explains, "I was just honest about what happened; I didn't make up some sob story   about saving the world." Her donors think it's funny and original, and view it less as a charity than as an entertainment site. Imitators have appeared all over the Internet, some with extremely selfish requests for things like a BMW or a house. Actually, Karyn was not the first person to put up a website asking strangers for money. The practice has a name: "cyber-begging." Most sites receive little traffic and even less cash. Karyn also had thousands of enemies and critics. People sent her hate mail and scolded   her on websites. Karyn says she never let this anger bother her. "They are probably jealous   they didn't think of it." She explains. Why was Karyn in financial trouble?
She lost her job. Her business failed. She spent too much money. Her bank account was stolen.