Cyprus police on Friday urged members of the public to be cautious with regards to a crowdfunding initiative to collect money for the funeral expenses of 35-year-old British Natalie Christopher who was found dead on the island of Ikaria in Greece.
Police’s warning follows a report that the “Christopher Funeral Fund” initiative was a scam as it used the name of a Christopher’s friend who, however, had nothing to do with the raising of funds.
The electronic crime unit said it was investigating a report concerning forgery after being alerted by an individual that someone launched a crowdfunding using her name calling for donations for the funeral expenses of Christopher.
Police said that the initiative in question was a scam and urged the public not to donate any money.
The police announcement reportedly follows a warning on Thursday by CyBC radio producer Saskia Constantinou, a friend of Natalie Christopher.
Constantinou said someone had used her name and a photo she had taken with Christopher “to start a so-called Funeral Fund”.
“This is totally illegal and has not been initiated by me. I have reported to the relevant authorities and will prosecute to the full extent of the law for those responsible,” she said on Facebook.
A Scam Warning has been issued also by the website Cyprus Trail Runners.
Police said that the person who initiated the Funeral Fund was a resident “in a third country” and will need to be tracked down.
According to reports, the funding page has been taken down.
Natalie Christopher died last Monday after she fell down into a ravine in what it seems an accident during her morning run. Her body was found crashed by a rock.
PS Unfortunately it is not the first and it won’t be the last time internet scammers try to make money out of human tragedies.
