Fake GoFundMe raises $17,750 after deadly DC plane crash, then gets exposed

A fraudulent GoFundMe campaign claiming to raise money for the family of two victims of the January 2025 Washington plane crash collected $17,750 before being taken down, after a Russian lawyer identified suspicious activity and alerted the fundraising platform. The campaign, which had a target of $150,000, claimed to support the family of Kansas farmers Bob and Lori Schrock, who were among the 67 people killed when an American Eagle passenger aircraft collided with a US Army helicopter near Washington, DC.

Gauthier Daniel Igorevich, a Moscow-based criminal lawyer, became suspicious after contacting the person listed as the fundraiser's representative. His investigation revealed unusual email exchanges, including a request for a $15,000 transfer to a Skrill account.Fake fundraiser claimed to support family of Kansas farmersThe GoFundMe campaign appeared after the January 29, 2025, collision involving American Eagle Flight 5342 and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.