The deaths and injuries of the Hunter Valley bus crash are being exploited in the most despicable way through fake GoFundMe fundraising pages.
Alex Tigani, a survivor of the disaster that killed 10 people and seriously injured many others, warned people who wanted to help victims and their families.
In a post on the Hunter River Times’ Facebook page, Mr Tigani, who is the paper’s deputy editor and officiates at the wedding, warned people not to give money to the bogus sites.
“After Sunday’s tragedy, several GoFundMe pages are circulating on social media. These are NOT OFFICIAL,” he wrote. ‘Thank you for your understanding.’
Since his warning, the only one official fundraising site for the victims was founded by the Australian football club Singleton Roosters, of which Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell – whose marriage was – are members.
The deaths and injuries of the Hunter Valley bus crash are being exploited in the most despicable way through fake GoFundMe fundraising pages. Mitchell Gaffney and Madeleine Edsell – whose wedding it was – are pictured, along with emcee Alex Tigani
Mr Tigani, who is said to have met the couple through the club, was at the wedding at Wandin Estate in Lovedale, NSW before boarding the ill-fated bus
He was one of 25 people taken to hospital on Sunday after the bus overturned and rolled while navigating a roundabout around 11:30 p.m.
A GoFundMe spokesperson, who reached out about the allegedly fraudulent fundraising pages, said the company had policies in place to ensure funds went to the intended beneficiary.
It said teams are monitoring, vetting and verifying all fundraisers related to the bus accident.
“We are devastated by the news of the tragic incident in the Hunter Valley,” they said.
All donations will be held securely until the GoFundMe Trust & Safety team can complete their checks to ensure that the funds can be safely transferred to the intended beneficiary.
“In the rare event that something goes wrong, our platform is backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee.”
Ten people were killed when a bus (pictured) carrying dozens of passengers from a wedding overturned
The Hunter Valley Bus Tragedy Fund, the only official fundraising site for the victims, was founded by Melanie Sunderland, the secretary of Australian football club Singleton.
“Our committee and club members are committed to raising as much money as possible to help the families with the ongoing costs associated with this horrific event,” she wrote on the page.
“We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your generosity and love for all who suffer.”
Late Tuesday night, hours after the page was set up, it had already reached its goal of raising $100,000 for the victims of the crash, with more than 1,300 separate donations.
“I donated because it was the least I could do. Terrible tragedy that money just can’t heal, but it’s my little way of showing my support,” one wrote, along with a contributor.
‘You could have been my family. I’m so sorry,” said another.
At the Hunter River Times Facebook site people expressed outrage that someone would try to exploit the tragedy.
‘That’s disgraceful! Our thoughts are with you all through this mate,” one wrote.
Alex Tigani, who was the emcee at the wedding, warned (pictured) about fake fundraising sites
Local reporter Alex Tigani (pictured) was the master of ceremonies at the wedding and criticized the fake fundraisers
“I hope someone, Alex Tigani, has notified GoFundMe about these other GoFundMe pages so they can verify whether they are genuine or not,” said another.
On Tuesday, the 58-year-old bus driver, Brett Andrew Button, was granted conditional bail.
Button has been charged with 10 counts of dangerous driving resulting in death and one count of negligent driving.
He will next appear in Newcastle local court on August 9.