Fake Fundraisers Profiting From Jersey City Shooting, Cops Warn

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Detective Joseph Seals was one of the most respected officers in the Jersey City Police Department. He was a father, a husband and a lifesaver. But only hours after his death at the hands of armed assailants in a Jersey City standoff, a wave of unscrupulous scamsters are already trying to profit off his good name, authorities say.

On Tuesday, Seals was among four victims killed by a pair of heavily armed shooters in Jersey City. Three civilians also lost their lives in the violence: Leah Mindel Ferencz, 32, Moshe Hersh Deutsch, 24, and Douglas "Miguel" Rodriguez, 49.

Police fatally shot the two suspects, David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50.

Authorities initially said the attack didn’t appear to be an act of terrorism. However, on Thursday, representatives with the FBI, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the shooting is being investigated as a “domestic terrorism incident with a hate-crime bias slant.”

• See related article: 6 Killed In Jersey City Shooting Standoff
• See related article: Chilling Details Revealed After 6 Killed In Jersey City Shooting

On Wednesday – less than a day after the shooting – U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito warned that con artists have set up fraudulent GoFundMe webpages and are soliciting contributions on behalf of the victims.

Carpenito and Attorney General Gurbir Grewal urged people to be vigilant about possible scams and to report them to authorities.

Earlier in the day, the Union City Police Department also warned the public that several fake fundraising campaigns have been set up in Seals’ name online.

"Please do not donate to any GoFundMe or other online memorial for Det. Seals until these sites can be vetted or until they are set up by appropriate parties (family, fraternal organizations, etc.) and proper notifications have been made," Union City police stated.

"Please advise family, friends and others also not to patronize these likely illegitimate pages,” police added.

The East Brunswick Police Department shared the same advisory via Nixle.

According to Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, many people have been asking if there is a way they can support Seals, as well as the other victims of the shooting.

On Wednesday, the Jersey City POBA said that officers are in the process of setting up a fund for Seals' family. They encouraged anyone who wants to provide assistance to donate directly to the JCPOBA so that officers can "make sure your dollars go where they should."

The Jersey City POBA later shared a link to an official GoFundMe campaign for Seals.

All of the funds will go directly to the Seals family, helping them cover education, housing, and other expenses for the five children "that Joe loved so dearly," police wrote.

A search for “Joseph Seals” via GoFundMe on the morning of Dec. 11 showed seven different fundraising campaigns, which had collectively raised almost $9,000.

One of the campaign organizers claimed to be a former co-worker of the deceased detective. Using the title of “Christmas for Det. Seals Family,” another campaign claimed to be raising funds to help them during their time of mourning.

The organizer of another campaign – which had raised more than $1,600 – acknowledged they don’t know Seals’ family personally.

“At the appropriate time (either towards the end of the month or early January), I will contact the Jersey City Police Department as to the proper protocol for setting up the Seals family as the beneficiary of this GoFundMe page,” they wrote.

“When that occurs, the fundraising page will reflect that a beneficiary has been added (no withdrawals will occur until the Seals family has been added as a beneficiary),” the fundraiser continued. “Once the beneficiary is added they will have complete control over the funds, all of the money raised will go to the family (GoFundMe provides the platform free of charge but does apply fees when the money is withdrawn).”

A spokesperson for GoFundMe provided Patch with the following statement on Wednesday evening:

"In the wake of a shooting, it’s not uncommon for someone to create a GoFundMe in an effort to help the family. GoFundMe is reviewing all campaigns, contacting every campaign organizer, and will transfer all of the money raised for the family of Det. Seals directly to his family. At this time, we encourage everyone to donate to the fundraiser created by the Jersey City POBA."

At least one of the campaigns has since been removed from the website.

Send feedback and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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