A volunteer search group is warning about scammers who say they are raising money to help look for two missing kids in rural Nova Scotia.
Lilly and Jack Sullivan, six and four years old, have been missing from Lansdowne Station since May 2 -reported to have wandered away from home.
There was a massive search for six days involving more than 160 volunteers and other searches, since, on ground and in the air.
Paul Service, Director of Halifax Search and Rescue tells our newsroom, a GoFundMe was trying to raise $100,000 for a drone search in the area, with their organization listed as the beneficiary.
“So, we wanted to get out and let people know that we weren’t connected to it,” says Service.
Then, he says, they discovered another one.
“In the process of that, we became aware of a second GoFundMe account that didn’t name us but was attempting to do the same thing and had secured, I think, $2,500 USD in donations.”
Service says, they flagged the pages with GoFundMe and they were taken down.
He adds, not only were they a little surprised, but they say it is unfortunate that this type of situation would be exploited.
“It’s the first time we’ve encountered something like this. But again, we are aware through other events in the country that certainly this happened,” says Service.
All of the search and rescue organizations in Nova Scotia, he believes are volunteer and are largely supported by fundraising, so accurate information is important.
“It doesn’t just affect us; it affects the community.”
