Christmas morning started like any other Christmas for Jared Aguilar, who opened presents with family just moments before his brother called him over to check out something strange. The strange something? A phony GoFundMe campaign with Jared’s photo and name plastered all over it claiming to raise money for his funeral.
“I’m like ‘What the heck, what’s going on?” he told KPNX.
The campaign has since been removed but you know how we do — an archived copy can be found here. It reads:
Our dear friend Jared Aguilar passed away tragically earlier this christmas morning. He was a loyal friend who always put others before him. He died doing what he loved, helping others in need. Please help in any way you can in this time of need. We will miss you friend. Heaven has gained another angel. RIP
Now, we’ve seen plenty of scammers use someone else’s photo with a made up story to solicit funds via a scam GoFundMe campaign but this is a new one for us: Jared’s own face was staring back at him.
It’s unknown who started the fake campaign and Jared told KPNX he doesn’t really care to find out. “It’s kind of scary, but when you look at it in a logical sense, it’s nothing. Just a scam,” he said.
The campaign did not receive any donations before it was removed. RIP Jared
