Fake funeral fundraising page for CCHS crash victim pulled down
Concordian Jayme Riessen said her son had not started a GoFundMe page soliciting donations for a schoolmate’s family.
A fraudulent fundraising page purporting to benefit the family of one of the high school students killed in a Florida crash this week has been pulled down.
Acton resident Jayme Riessen said that her son, Rex, had not started a GoFundMe page soliciting donations to defray the cost of funeral arrangements for Hannah Wasserman, one of three CCHS seniors who died after their SUV collided with a tractor-trailer on a Florida panhandle highway.
“It was very shocking to us,” Riessen said.
The link had gathered more than $5,000 when it was reported.
Riessen said Rex, a sophomore, knew Hannah “in passing” as a schoolmate.
She said she and her family were at a movie on Tuesday night when they began receiving texts and emails from friends asking whether they knew the Wassermans.
Upset to learn her son’s name had been used, Riessen reported the fraud to Acton Police and reached out on social media and to local news sources to stop people from donating.
“While the link is down, people need to be mindful that there are those who will try to take advantage of the public,” CPD Capt. Brian Goldman said. “Luckily, we caught this one in time.”
A spokesperson from GoFundMe said the company secured the donations while looking into reports that the fundraiser was false.
“As our Trust & Safety team did not receive a response to our outreach, all donors have been refunded and the fundraiser removed,” they said. “Our hearts go out to the community after this tragedy … and we are continuing to monitor the platform for any fundraisers related to this incident.”
It’s not unusual for someone to create a fundraiser after reading a news report, they said.
“When there’s an unspeakable tragedy, people have a deep urge to help and provide comfort to those affected,” the spokesperson said.
The person who organized the fake fundraiser did not respond to questions from The Bridge before the page was removed.
Riessen said Rex was distressed by the incident. “He doesn’t want it to seem like he’s trying to take advantage of the situation,” she said.
The deaths of the three students in the accident, which left a fourth CCHS senior in critical condition, “is a horrible, devastating tragedy,” Riessen said.
“We don’t want to be part of their time of grieving. … We want the family to know we are there for them.”
Additional reporting by Celeste Katz Marston.
