WARNING: Callers Pretend To Raise Money For Families Of Killed PA Troopers
While the eyes of the country have been on Philadelphia following events that occurred during the early morning hours of Monday, March 21 which left two State Troopers and one pedestrian dead, the eyes of scammers have been on the wallets of good-hearted citizens.
In the early morning hours of Monday, March 21, Pennsylvania State Troopers Martin Mack III, 33, and Branden Sisca, 29, along with Reyes Rivera Oliveras, 28, lost their lives when they were struck by a vehicle as the troopers were pulled over on I-95 near the sports stadiums in south Philadelphia trying to help Oliveras who was walking on the highway.
Following the news of the troopers death, family and friends created legitimate GoFundMe campaigns to help support the wives and daughters of Mack and the wife and unborn baby of Sisca but scammers also saw the tragedy as an opportunity to con money from good intentioned individuals.
Pennsylvania State Troopers Association (PSTA) President David Kennedy warned that scammers are reaching out and pretending to be raising money for the families of the Troopers however, the PSTA is the only official organization which represents Pennsylvania state troopers and they do not solicit for donations over the telephone.
Anyone who receives an unsolicited phone call should not make a donation and should certainly not give the caller any personal information such as address or banking information.
The driver of the vehicle that killed the three men was charged by State police on Tuesday with three counts each of third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment; two counts of second-degree manslaughter of a law enforcement officer; one count of DUI, and summary traffic violations.