Harris County investigators are targeting scammers who created a fake GoFundMe for Texas flood victims, exploiting grieving families.
HOUSTON — Harris County Precinct One Constable Alan Rosen has launched a criminal investigation into scammers exploiting recent flooding in the Texas Hill Country, warning donors to be cautious of fraudulent fundraising campaigns targeting grieving families.
Rosen announced that his office is investigating a case where an online scammer impersonated the father of Houston’s Chloe Childress and created a fake GoFundMe page. The fraudulent campaign was quickly shut down after Precinct One detectives contacted the platform.
The fake fundraiser had received two donations totaling approximately $1,500 before being removed. GoFundMe responded swiftly to law enforcement’s report, taking down the page within minutes of being contacted.
“Doing this to a family when they are already down is clearly unconscionable,” Rosen said. “These families are all enduring the saddest tragedies of their lives, and to do this is just soulless. We are not going to tolerate these imposters harming families and exploiting the goodwill of our community.”
Detectives are investigating potential charges including forgery and online impersonation. Rosen said investigators are examining whether one of the donors may have been part of the scam itself, used as bait to make other potential donors feel safe to contribute.
The constable’s office is actively investigating any instances where scammers have created GoFundMe pages connected to the recent flooding, as victims and their families continue to cope with the aftermath of the disaster.
A GoFundMe spokesperson confirmed the platform’s swift response to the fraudulent campaign.
“GoFundMe has zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform or any attempt to exploit the generosity of others, and we work closely with law enforcement to investigate those accused of wrongdoing,” the spokesperson said.
The platform’s Trust & Safety team is actively monitoring all fundraisers related to the Texas flooding.
“In this case, the fundraiser in question was promptly removed, the associated account permanently banned, and all donations fully refunded. At no point did the organizer have access to any of the funds,” the spokesperson added.
Rosen emphasized the importance of community vigilance while maintaining the spirit of helping those in need.
“One of our community’s greatest hallmarks, is our ability to come together to help in time of need,” he said. “We want folks to be careful and avoid being scammed.”
The constable encouraged donors to follow safety tips provided by GoFundMe on its website to avoid fraudulent campaigns. Verified fundraisers related to the Texas floods can be found on GoFundMe’s centralized hub at gofundme.com/TexasFloods.
The investigation comes as many flood victims have not yet been recovered and families like the Childress family have not yet been able to hold services for their loved ones.