Web Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?

Web Tricks: Cyber-Begging, And, CBSNews.com Tips On Jobhunting

(CBS)  This is the ninth in a month-long series of reports called "Making Ends Meet" about how families are coping with the tough economy, unemployment and smaller retirement accounts.

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Karyn Bosnak lived the ultimate New York dream.

"It was like living that 'Sex And The City' lifestyle that everyone sees on TV," she says.

Pulling in a six-figure income, she had a taste for fancy dinners and all things designer.

"I had great shoes, I had great clothes, I had a great job, I went out to dinner a lot, got my hair done and I spent a little bit more than I made," she says.

But, as CBS News Correspondent Mika Brzezinski reports, Bosnak suddenly found herself unemployed. Two years of marathon shopping put Bosnak's debt out of control.

"At one point it added up to $25,000," she says.

Decked out in Gucci but unable to pay, this twenty-something had an idea: simply ask for the money.

"I was literally begging on the Internet for people to help me," she says. "The goal was to pay it off and you can watch me do it and come along for the ride."

And that's precisely what thousands of people did.

In just 20 weeks, followers of savekaryn.com watched as she knocked down more than $20,000 in debt, some from her own belt tightening but most came from donations ranging from a penny to $500.

Bosnak's cyber-begging site was among the first, but now there are hundreds trying to tap into this technological gold rush: all making the same pitch for cash and each with its own "pick me" reason. From the woman who wants breast implants to the guy who wants his college tuition financed.

Dan Kloke has donated to three cyber-beggars and spent $50 on Bosnak's cause. He too was once in debt and says Bosnak's frankness struck a chord.

But why would Kloke give money to someone who got herself in trouble at Gucci? After all, she's not a charity, nor is she in dire straits.

"I think it's a little more than begging," says Kloke. "I think it's sort of like singing for your dinner, I think it makes a difference."

Randy Cohen writes the "Ethicist" column for the New York Times Magazine. He says the notion of "cyber-begging" pushes the limits of charity.

"We make a kind of agreement as a society that we'll help those truly in need, and when you put your hand out if you're not truly in need you're violating that agreement," says Cohen.

Did Bosnak ever feel weird taking the money?

"No, it just felt good," she says. "You have no idea.

"It never felt weird, it felt good. It was like, 'Yes, there's another big payment on its way.'"

For now, this debtor turned cyber-beggar knows she has to stick to window-shopping. That is until her six-figure book and movie deal comes thru.