Attorney General Ashley Moody today directed her Consumer Protection Division to investigate a fake fundraising account that used the image of a fallen Florida Highway Patrol Master Sergeant to solicit donations. The account, now offline, was hosted on the fundraising website GoGetFunding and used the name and image of FHP Master Sgt. Daniel Hinton. It also claimed Hinton’s wife served as fundraising administrator. Sgt. Hinton suffered cardiac arrest during a training exercise yesterday and later passed away at the hospital.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Our Consumer Protection investigators are acting with a sense of urgency to get to the bottom of this fake fundraising account and hold responsible whoever is behind this disrespectful, deceitful attempt to profit off the suffering of our law enforcement community. Master Sergeant Hinton is a law enforcement hero, and it infuriates me that anyone would use his legacy to try and steal from Floridians.”
Someone donated $25 before the site was removed, and a goal of raising $5,000 was displayed on the page. If anyone encounters any other suspicious fundraising pages, they should report it to the Florida Attorney General’s Office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or by visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.
