Heartless scammers set up fake fundraiser after ‘talented young footballer’, 14, drowned in the River Thames
Scammers set up a fake GoFundMe fundraiser within hours of 14-year-old Banta Sillah being named as the boy who drowned in the River Thames at Millwall Outer Dock during the recent heatwave. The bogus page, which claimed to be raising £6,000 for his "burial and a memorial", collected more than £3,000 from well-meaning members of the public before it was taken down. His football club, Frontline Community FC, said the family had confirmed they had no knowledge of the page and urged anyone who donated to report it and request a refund.
GoFundMe said no funds had been released to the organiser and that all donors were being refunded after its team reviewed and removed the page. The club has since set up an official fundraiser via LaunchGood at the family's request. The Metropolitan Police confirmed they are investigating the fake page as a potential fraud offence, having spoken to the family, who did not authorise it. Banta, captain of Frontline Community FC, had helped his team win the Tower Hamlets cup shortly before his death, and tributes have been paid by his club and the borough's mayor, Lutfur Rahman.
- Fake GoFundMe exploited teen footballer's drowning death for donations
- Page raised £3,000+ before removal; GoFundMe refunding all donors
- Met Police investigating as fraud; family set up official fundraiser instead
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Fake fundraising pages often appear within hours of a tragedy making the news, especially when the story involves a child or a dramatic death. Scammers monitor local and national news, then set up donation appeals on crowdfunding sites using the victim's name, photos and details lifted from genuine tributes or news reports, hoping people will give money out of sympathy without checking who is actually behind the page.
In this case, the appeal follows the death of a 14-year-old boy, described as a promising young footballer, who drowned in the River Thames. His death would ordinarily prompt genuine efforts from family, friends or his football club to raise money for funeral costs or to support those left behind, which is the kind of appeal the fake version is designed to be mistaken for.
This matters because it affects both the grieving family, whose loss is being exploited for financial gain, and members of the public who may unknowingly donate to fraudsters rather than the people they intend to help. It is also a reminder of a wider pattern in which scammers use real tragedies to run convincing fundraising cons, often before any genuine, verified appeal has even been set up.