Police: Person tried to steal funds meant for Greenwood Lake firefighters by cloning Venmo account
To prevent fraud and waste, the volunteers and village officials are sending people who want to donate to a new Facebook page and online fundraiser.
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It has been a tough job to manage the onslaught of donations to help the first responders who are containing a wildfire east of the lake.
Volunteers in Greenwood Lake are now streamlining the many donations from people wanting to help the massive firefighting effort there after someone apparently tried to steal money from the cause.
Greenwood Lake native Erin Rabbitt is now handling donations logistics at the Greenwood Lake Fire Department.
Earlier this week, a volunteer was asking for donations over Venmo, a digital payment service.
Police said someone cloned the volunteer's Venmo handle several times, and tried to divert donations to other accounts.
Rabbitt is simplifying the donation plan.
"That's where this volunteer group came [in]," she said. "We're really just the middleman to make sure everyone gets what they need, and — again — no waste, and to streamline so there's no confusion."
To prevent fraud and waste, the volunteers and village officials are sending people who want to donate to a new Facebook page and online fundraiser.
Greenwood Lake Police Chief Adam Eirand said his officers spoke with the volunteer who was apparently scammed, and took a report.
"We've spoken to the district attorney's office here in Orange County," Chief Eirand said, "and they're going to be working diligently on investigating that."
A spokesperson for the Orange County District Attorney's Office said the office is urging "those to make donation to good causes to exercise diligence to ensure that the entities they are donating to are the legitimate recipients of their donations."
