Lemoore Chamber hacked by fake 'GoFundMe' user, falsely soliciting money for ill child

According to Lemoore Chamber sources, it’s nothing more than a ruse.

According to Chief Executive Officer Amy Ward, the email is false. “The Lemoore Chamber of Commerce would like to remind everyone that our office does not solicit donations of any kind through “GoFundMe” accounts or any other email avenue on behalf of our chamber or our members.”

According to Ward, an email was sent Sunday (June 10) from what appeared to be the chamber’s domain address, but it was not from the chamber’s office. The false email was @lemoorechamberof commerce.com. The chamber’s official domain is @lemoorechamber.org.

“The use of our logo appears to make the email authentic in nature, but that is not the case,” warned Ward.

The email certainly looks official. It highlights a brief message about a chamber member and a photo of what appears to be a sick child in need of a lifesaving operation.

“One of our members is in dire need of the entire Lemoore Chamber of Commerce help us save his son who is critically ill and needs to be operated urgently,” stated the false email message.  “It will be appreciated if we all can join hands together as one family and save his son Frank. A fundraising campaign has been created, and we are relying on the entire family to help him raise the funds needed.“

Included in the “GoFundMe” pitch is a request to raise $15,000 and a heartbreaking photo of a child who appears to be in a hospital room. The Leader, a member of the chamber, received the request as well, but when checked, could not locate the official site. On Sunday The Leader contacted the chamber’s executive director to verify the email.

Ward went on to state that if anybody has questions about the email, feel free to call her office at 924-6401.