14 DAY TRIAL // 6-year-old Noah Pozner was tragically killed during the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown. His grieving family buried him on Monday, with his uncle reading a eulogy for the young boy.
Alexis Haller tells reporters that scam artists are trying to profit from his nephew's death, by setting up a website and collecting donations in his family's name.
“These scammers [...] are stealing from the families of victims of this horrible tragedy,” he says.
According to the Daily Mail, the noahpozner.com website, which has since been transferred to the boy's family, was a place where people could allegedly help his family.
Scammers would ask for cards, packages and money, and gun control petitions have also been published. The website provided info on Noah's funeral.
The con artists behind the site went so far as to call out and ask for donations, instead of just waiting for people to check out the website for themselves.
The Pozner family was alarmed when a friend received an email, in which he was asked for money. They found out that the donations were being forwarded to an address in the Bronx, in New York.
When the boy's aunt, Victoria Haller, responded to the email and confronted the scammer, she was told the site's only purpose was to raise awareness on gun control and the Pozner family ordeal.
“[I meant] to somehow honor Noah and help promote a safer gun culture. I had no ill intentions I assure you,” someone signing the name Jason Martin responded.
The scammer was identified as Noel Alba, from the Bronx. Police found she had also set up a Hurricane Sandy aid website. Confronted by reporters, she claims she has nothing to do with the Pozner site, adding that someone had used another Paypal account for the donations.
However, she admits to receiving donations worth $300 (€226), but describes she returned them. Her explanation is that someone is trying to frame her, possibly a member of a crafting community she is a part of.