'Do not donate!': Mum's warning over murder victim's fake GoFundMe page
The family of the woman found dead in a creek near Newcastle have asked the public to be wary of someone trying to cash in on her death.
Danielle Easey’s body was found wrapped in plastic floating in Cockle Creek at Killingworth on August 31.
An autopsy revealed the 29-year-old mother of two had been seriously assaulted and stabbed.
Police said she was murdered at a home in the Central Coast suburb of Narara, on or around Saturday August 17, before being dumped at the creek.
Her mother, Jennifer Collier, took to Facebook on Friday to warn a fundraiser claiming to have been created by her father, Colin, was not legitimate.
“I’d just like to let everyone know if they see a GoFundMe page for Danielle made by her dad, Col, do not donate please,” she wrote.
“He’s obviously been hacked. He did not write it... nor did any other family member. Someone did and we will find out who. Thank you.”
The low act was labelled “disgusting” in comments underneath Ms Collier’s Facebook post.
“I hope someone has contacted the GoFundMe organisation to let them know it's a fake fundraising page, to have them shut it down. Such a disgusting putrid thing to do,” one person wrote.
“This is disgusting.. I hope you find out who they are,” another person said.
A GoFundMe page apparently dedicated to Danielle Easey has raised $15 of its $5000 target after being created a week ago.
But donations were no longer being accepted on Sunday.
A 33-year-old man was arrested at Cardiff, Lake Macquarie, on Thursday, taken to Belmont Police Station and later charged with murder over Ms Easey’s death.
A 32-year-old woman was arrested at a home in the Newcastle suburb of Holmesville and charged with accessory after the fact to murder and dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception.
A spokesperson from GoFundMe said the account had been removed “after failing to meet our trust and safety criteria”.
“GoFundMe is committed to the highest levels of security and deploys both exceptional fraud-prevention technology and a team of experts, working around the clock, to prevent misuse,” Regional Manager Nicola Britton said.
“As ever with GoFundMe, we remain in full control of funds until we’re confident they will get to the right place. Our platform is backed by an industry-first GoFundMe Guarantee, meaning the funds are guaranteed to reach the beneficiary or will be refunded.”
With AAP
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