Texas floods: Fake GoFundMe page claimed to raise funds honoring victim from Houston
Texas floods: Fake fundraising page for flood victim from Houston
Scammers are creating fake fundraisers pretending to help victims but pocketing the donations themselves. FOX 26's Jillian spoke to Harris County Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen about a fake GoFundMe that was reported to his office.
HOUSTON - Authorities are warning those donating to help flood victims after the disaster in Kerrville.
Scammers are creating fake fundraisers pretending to help victims but pocketing the donations themselves.
Fake Gofundme page for Central Texas flood victim
Texas floods: Harris County constable warns of fundraiser scams
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been removed after the person who made it allegedly pretended to raise money for a Central Texas flooding victim from Houston. FOX 26's Jillian Hartmann spoke to Pct. 1 Constable Alan Rosen whose office is investigating.
What we know:
In the wake of the devastation in Central Texas, many people want to help and donate, but local authorities say, be careful where you send your money.
Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen said a fake GoFundMe page was reported to his office.
He said a fraudulent fundraiser was claiming to help a flood victim from Houston who died in the devastating flooding.
"They got two donations - totaling $1,500 - to incentivize people to donate, but even those people, we discovered, are dead," Constable Rosen told FOX 26. "We immediately contacted the GoFundMe people and shut this [page] down immediately, so no one got scammed."
Constable Rosen shared a reminder for others to pay attention to where they're donating and to make sure the site they're using is vetted.
"GoFundMe has tips that people should look at prior to giving money on GoFundMe or any other site," said Constable Rosen. "It's wonderful that people want to give. That's what Texans are about, that's what people in Harris County and all over our country are about, about giving to these tragedies, and I love that piece. But I do not like people that are criminals, soulless people that are out there trying to take advantage of an already tragic situation.
If you see a suspicious go fund me page, report it to local authorities.
GoFundMe statement
What they're saying:
A GoFundMe representative sent the following statement to FOX 26 in response to this report:
"GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform or any attempt to exploit the generosity of others, and we work closely with law enforcement to investigate those accused of wrongdoing. Our Trust & Safety team is actively monitoring and reviewing all fundraisers related to the flooding in Texas. In this case, the fundraiser in question was promptly removed, the associated account permanently banned, and all donations fully refunded. At no point did the organizer have access to any of the funds. We have robust systems in place that allow anyone to report a fundraiser at any time. Each report is promptly reviewed, and appropriate action is taken as part of our commitment to donor and community safety. All verified fundraisers related to the Texas floods can be found on our centralized hub: gofundme.com/TexasFloods."
Featured
LIVE UPDATES: Pres. Trump, first lady tour Texas flood damage: 'Hard to believe the devastation'
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump will travel to Texas today to tour the damage left behind by devastating flooding over the July 4th weekend.
The Source: FOX 26 reporter Jillian Hartmann spoke to Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen.