Desperate people do desperate things. Sometimes, people take advantage of the desperate for their own monetary gain.

Other times, people step in to help the desperate recover. That's what happened Thursday.

In a little more than two hours, online donations from concerned individuals had replaced the $1,940 that disabled homeless veteran Tim Rexin lost when he cashed a fraudulent check in March.

Rexin was the victim of a money-wiring scam.

In March, he cashed a $1,940 check that was eventually discovered to be fraudulent. He was instructed to keep $250 for himself, wire $1,540 and use $150 to pay for fees. The fact that the check was fraudulent meant Rexin owed Chase all $1,940. He had cashed the fraudulent check while he was trying to raise money to move out of a homeless shelter and into his own apartment.

As of April 30, he owed $1,353 and his account was frozen. His Supplemental Security Income check, direct deposited to his Chase account, was going to go toward paying off the balance.

Anna Fuqua-Smith read Rexin’s story in The Ann Arbor News Thursday morning and decided to start a fundraiser on GoFundMe, an online fundraising website. By noon Thursday, $2,030 had been donated to Rexin’s housing fund.

That amount is more than enough to recoup what he lost when he was scammed.

Fuqua-Smith, a 28-year-old Ypsilanti resident, said she read the story Thursday and took a few minutes to start the fundraiser as a way to help. She didn’t expect to raise more than $2,000 so quickly.

“I thought the information would spread normally, but it does show the power, love and respect this community has for folks in a situation like Tim is,” she said.

The Ann Arbor News couldn’t immediately contact Rexin Thursday. Fuqua-Smith tried to reach him as well to let him know about the fundraiser.

GoFundMe donation site.

Read the full story of how Rexin became a victim of the scam.

Kyle Feldscher covers cops and courts for The Ann Arbor News. He can be reached at kylefeldscher@mlive.com or you can follow him on Twitter. Find all Washtenaw County crime stories here.