It didn’t take long after Des Moines Sgt. Anthony Beminio and Urbandale Officer Justin Martin were shot and killed in two separate ambush attacks early this morning for GoFundMe campaigns purporting to benefit their families to pop up. Oh crowdfunding cockroaches, is nothing sacred?
The Des Moines police want to make it clear that any such accounts are probably fakes; even those potentially created with no ill intent are unauthorized and as such should not be donated to.
“It has been brought to our attention that there are GoFundMe accounts set up, purporting to be established by the friends and family of Sgt. Beminio and Officer Martin,” Des Moines police said in a statement. “There are no GoFundMe accounts being managed or authorized by the friends or family of the officers.”
Those interested in donating in the names of Officer Martin and Sgt. Beminio may do so through a fund set up by the Urbandale Police Protective Benevolent Association and The Des Moines Police Officer Burial Association here.
The Des Moines Police Officers’ Credit Union is also accepting donations. CEO of the credit union Andy Fogle said “there’s no more cost-effective way to give money to the officer families.”
The Des Moines Register has more details on funds the officers’ beneficiaries are entitled to, but points out that the process of paying those benefits out can be a long, tedious one.
It’s unclear if the GoFundMe campaigns were created with good intent, however it’s best to leave this sort of thing to verified nonprofits such as the associations above. In other words, stop freaking running to GoFundMe every time something bad happens so you can look like an hero and let reputable organizations sort it out.
