Published
Web scamA foundation for Diogo Jota harvested 52,000 francs and disappears
Scholars have exploited the emotion generated by the accidental death of the Liverpool footballer and his brother.
Maldonnet people have exploited the death of Diogo Jota for their benefit.
IMAGO/SportimageA scandal splashes the memory of Diogo Jota, the Portuguese striker of Liverpool, who died tragically on July 3 in a road accident with his brother, at the age of 28 years.
At the heart of the emotion generated by this drama, a website called Diogojotafoundation.org was born and presented itself as a charity in tribute to the player. “Thanks to football, education and hope, we perpetuate the light he left behind, creating opportunities, joy and a lasting impact for Gondomar’s youth (note, the childhood village of the deceased) and beyond,” we could read on one of the pages.
In reality, it was a scam.
The site page before it becomes inaccessible.
Put online three days after the accident, the platform claimed to have harvested 47,715 pounds sterling, or 51,800 francs, thanks to the donations of supporters and anonymous affected by the disappearance of the player.
Family never contacted
Contacted by the British press, the footballer’s family denied any involvement: they have never been informed of this initiative and – corollary – therefore has never provided its authorization for this fundraising.
As for the Liverpool club, he confirmed to the “Telegraph” that he had no connection with this alleged foundation. The Charity Commission, the British regulatory authority, said that no official registration request had been filed.
This Friday morning, the site in question had disappeared from the canvas, leaving behind many cheated donors.
The scam went even further: to give themselves credibility, the authors had affixed the logos of recognized organizations on the site such as UNICEF, Allianz and the Portuguese platform of NGOs. Three of them denied any collaboration.
Allianz UK denounced an “abusive use” of its brand and announced that it has taken steps to permanently close the site and continue those responsible.
