A local nonprofit found itself the victim of scammers when fraudulent accounts began siphoning donations away from them.
“This is sad. It’s sad for us, it’s sad for our families, it’s sad for our donors,” Jamie Ward said.
Ward, founder of Jamie’s Dream Team, says someone copied her organization’s logo and used the photos of the boy they were raising money for to set up a fake Venmo account.
She said they were alerted to the issue when people reported making donations they weren’t receiving. At least 50 people were duped.
“How could they take this from everything that we do,” Ward asked. “But not only that, these children we’re helping. They’re not taking from us. They’re taking from these families we’re helping.”
In the end, Jamie’s Dream Team was still able to help the boy, setting up his first big birthday party.
Ward says anyone concerned about donating online in the future can instead drop off donations at their McKeesport office or organize a pick-up.
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