In early March, a tragic story showed up on NewsBreak, a website that aggregates local news from across the country. In a series of articles, the author reported on a hit-and-run accident that had left two people dead: Herman Cruz and his 4-year-old daughter, Amelia. Herman had been driving Amelia to her cancer treatments in Richmond, Virginia, when they were killed, the author claimed.
In each of the articles, the author directed readers to a GoFundMe page created to raise money to pay for their funeral services. “All donations will help and be appreciated,” said the GoFundMe organizer, identified as Jamel El-Amin. The campaign raised more than $1,500.
But none of this was real.
The account holder who published content under the name “Blast News 365” and identified himself as “Jamel” in an author bio appears to have fabricated the story. In emails this week, Virginia authorities — state and local police, a commonwealth’s attorney — told NBC News they had no record of the victims, no reports of the hit-and-run.
In fact, the author appears to have concocted other news stories over the last several weeks. In each case, the articles included links to GoFundMe pages where readers — moved by details of grim crimes and terrible accidents — could open up their virtual pocketbooks. Three of the campaigns seen by NBC News raised a total of nearly $2,700.
Blast News 365 reported on the case of Khalid Baker, a 57-year-old man experiencing homelessness who was “brutaly [sic] beaten” and robbed after he tried to stop three men from mugging a woman at an ATM in Arlington, Virginia. The article said police were investigating the incident.
But the Arlington County Police Department “has not investigated a robbery of these circumstances,” a spokesperson confirmed in an email.
The author reported on the case of Roberta Clemons, a 77-year-old Arlington woman “who neighbors described as everyone’s grandma.” She had been found shot to death in her…
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