As the Corbin community mourns the loss of eight-year-old Eli Hill, who died Monday after a freak accident where a basketball goal fell on him, the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department has issued a scam alert in reference to a fake GoFundMe account.
“Our community is mourning the loss of this very special 8 year old, Eli Hill, who passed away this week after a tragic accident. Everyone please be in prayer for his family, his school and our community. He was one of a kind and will be missed by everyone,” the warning reads. “It’s hard to believe that some people can be so cruel but his parents are reporting a fake ‘GoFundMe’ account has been set up asking for donations. They want everyone to know they are not asking for donations and to please DO NOT donate to the fake account. If you see the fake account please report it.”
A GoFundMe spokesperson said in a release, “GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform and we cooperate with law enforcement investigations of those accused of wrongdoing. Our team acted quickly to remove the fundraiser, refund donors, and ban this account from using our platform for any future fundraisers. GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee offers a full refund in the rare case when something isn’t right.”
GoFundMe added in that statement that being a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is its top priority and it has a team of experts working around the clock to review fundraisers and prevent misuse. This process includes both a human review as well as technical tools designed to catch misuse.
