Propaganda does not have to pan out. If the goal is to set a mood, and have that mood influence people's decisions on a deep level, then this sort of relentless BDS works.
If you bombard the peoples of a nation with a continuous stream of stuff like this, it will have an effect. Yes, fundraising is part of it, but I think the goal is to color people's perceptions.
If you get one person to see through one of these stories, he'll pick up nine more just watching TV.
Because the MSM are in on these scams, corrupt grifters all.
The human mind has a deep affinity for conspiracy theories. They negate the need to take responsibility for ones own actions, since the conspiracy will defeat you no matter what you try to do. They are a ready made excuse for failure, real or perceived. They can never be disproved and attempts to do do so inevitably feed the delusion.