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Fraud Uncovered: How My Child’s Hospital Photos Were Hijacked For A Scam
Those of you who have followed my journey will know that my child Noah was in the hospital for 217 days when he was first born. He’s classified as severely disabled, and I’ve shared his story to inspire others and to help raise awareness that disability does not equate with inability. Never, in all these years, have I asked for donations or solicited financial help for myself (though I’ve helped raise funds for other people). If I ever need money, I sell more food, not ask for handouts.
Back in February this year, a stranger alerted me via social media that a scammer had been using photos of Noah from his time in the hospital, in a fraudulent fundraising campaign.
The Scammer’s Tactics: Using My Child’s Image to Deceive
The woman behind this scam, Elisa, is the mother of a severely ill child named Giorgia. What’s not in dispute is that Giorgia suffers from a rare condition affecting the entire digestive system. Elisa, who’s originally from Italy, has spent years raising funds to support her daughter’s medical treatment in the United States. However, her story falls apart under scrutiny.
The Truth Behind Her Claims
Once she realised I’d found out, Elisa reached out to me in a desperate attempt to justify her actions. She admitted to using photos of sick children, including Noah, in a fundraising video meant to solicit donations for her daughter’s medical care.
Her excuse? That she needed images of children who looked ill to convey the severity of her daughter’s condition. She claimed she found these images on Google and did not know who the children were.
The IBAN Deception: Misleading Donors
But the deceit doesn’t stop there. In her fundraising video, Elisa attached different IBANs (International Bank Account Numbers) to the images of these sick children, including Noah. The implication was clear: these accounts were meant to receive donations for the children featured in the video. In reality, all the IBANs led back to bank accounts controlled by Elisa herself.
The sole aim of this video is to evoke pity from those who watch it to obtain money. Money that is not even needed to treat the girl, since…
