That mentality of competition definitely comes into play, but I think that's a small part of it. Much more has to do with illiciting a reaction from the streame

That mentality of competition definitely comes into play, but I think that's a small part of it. Much more has to do with illiciting a reaction from the streamer. Like the article mentioned, a huge donation can cause someone to break down in tears, and step away from the camera. Even small donations can be emotional for smaller streamers, especially those humble enough to sincerely thank every one. There's also the opposite, where people will donate to streamers who will put themselves through challenges for it, like taking shots or eating ghost peppers. In terms of the scandal, yes, that was and still is a thing. Generally called "chargebacks", if a donor cancels the card and reports it as fraudulent, they have to pay nothing, and the streamer often has to pay a processing fee. Two stories there: I know a streamer who pissed off one of his moderators, and the mod decided to donate to the channel repeatedly in small amounts, and cancel all of them. He had to pay a $20 fee for each one, it ended up costing hundreds. I also had a buddy who was raising money for the charity Extra Life earlier this year, who had someone drop a donation of over $1k. The next week it was charged back, assumably costing the charity money. Some people are just not great people.