The Oscar Pistorius trial is on a break, but that hasn’t stopped some scammers from trying to solicit donations for the defense of the star athlete.
Several fake Facebook pages, one purporting to be from Oscar’s older brother Carl, are trying to get money from people by claiming that it will be used to help defend him.
But the con has been condemned by the family of Pistorius, who say that it’s not legitimate.
The latest fake Facebook, which includes a photo of Carl, says: “We seek financial support for the trial, debts and pending projects we have at hand. If you are interested in working actively with us in this direction, please do contact: Mrs Victoria Anderson at [email protected].”
The page’s latest post says: “Thank You all for the continued support and words of encouragement during this difficult time. Pray for Oscar.”
Anneliese Burgess, a spokeswoman for Pistorius, told the Star newspaper that people responding to the scam were then asked to meet in Sunnyside in Pretoria to discuss potential investments into other arenas. She advised that people not go.
The family has made it clear that anyone soliciting money on their behalf are doing so fraudulently,“ she said. ”We will, once again request Facebook to shut this profile down. All the legitimate Pistorius family members’ Facebook pages are either deactivated or set on full privacy settings.”
A number of fake social media accounts have been scamming people out of money ever since the Pistorius trial started in March. They play on the reports that the Pistorius family is facing rising legal costs.
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