ZIONSVILLE, Ind. -- What happened in Zionsville this week is a tragedy for the Giehll family. But police have a new warning about the case, involving a GoFundMe page claiming to raise money for Katie and Raymond's funerals.
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A statement released by the Boone County Sheriff's Office says the Giehll family was made aware of an unauthorized GoFundMe page Friday. The Giehll family contacted the creator and asked them to remove the page, and it has since been removed from the site.
The statement goes on to say that the Giehll family does not wish to seek monetary donations, they simply ask for prayers and support for those affected by this tragedy.
Here are some tips on how to stay safe on GoFundMe:
• Donors should only contribute payments to GoFundMe users they personally know and trust. We’re often asked how a donor can tell the authenticity of a personal cause found on GoFundMe. Unfortunately there is no way to 100% guarantee that a user’s GoFundMe donation page contains accurate or truthful information. As such, donors should not make payments to any campaigns or people unless they fully understand and trust the cause presented.
• Payments to GoFundMe ‘Certified Charity’ donation pages will always be delivered to the indicated organization.
• All transactions initiated through GoFundMe are securely encrypted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. A small security indicator, usually a lock icon or green bar, will appear in the web browser you’re using to verify the security of the transaction.
• Beware of donation pages that attempt to bypass the prescribed donation method (ie, posting direct links to alternative payment methods). Only complete payments by clicking on the large ‘Donate’ button found on each GoFundMe donation page.
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