Pennsylvania State Police union warns against phone scams asking for money for fallen troopers
There are verified GoFundMe pages for the families of Troopers Branden Sisca and Martin Mack, but scammers are also making phone calls asking for donations.
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As friends of the two Pennsylvania state troopers killed in a crash on I-95 created fund-raisers to support their families, the state police union warned of phone scams calling for donations.
The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association warned would-be contributors to beware of phone calls from people claiming to be collecting money for the families of Troopers Branden Sisca and Martin Mack.
In a statement sent to 6ABC, association president David Kennedy excoriated scammers who had called people, including some active troopers, under the guise of collecting money for the families of Sisca and Mack. The troopers, along with Reyes Rivera Oliveras, a 28-year-old man from Allentown, were killed when a 21-year-old Eagleville woman accused of driving under the influence struck them on the interstate early Monday.
» READ MORE: Woman, 21, charged in crash that killed two state troopers and a civilian on I-95
“It’s disgusting to even have to issue this statement, but our members and others are reporting to us that they’re receiving phone calls from people alleging to represent law enforcement organizations that are raising money to benefit the families of our fallen brothers,” Kennedy said.
“The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association does not do any phone solicitation. Period,” said spokesperson Dave LaTorre.
Meanwhile, two verified GoFundMe pages have been set up to support the troopers’ families.
A GoFundMe representative confirmed both pages as legitimate. As of Wednesday afternoon, Sisca’s page had raised roughly $110,000, more than its initial $100,000 goal. Mack’s page had raised nearly $84,000 of its $100,000 goal.
The two troopers had been responding to calls of a man walking southbound on I-95 near Lincoln Financial Field around 12:45 a.m. Monday. As the troopers attempted to get Oliveras out of danger, Jayana Tanae Webb attempted to pass the parked state police SUV while driving at a high speed, fatally striking all three men, state police said.
On Tuesday, authorities announced they had charged Webb with three counts of third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle, and a battery of DUI-related charges in connection with the three deaths.