Hartlepool dad appeals for public to not donate to scammer claiming to be his missing daughter
Two year-old Katrice Lee disppeared in 1981
Last updated 5 hours ago
A Hartlepool dad says it's "painful" to see a scammer trying to make money by pretending to be his daughter who's been missing for more than 40 years.
Two year-old Katrice Lee disappeared near Paderborn in Germany in 1981.
Her family's been subjected to scammers and internet trolls before but her dad, Richard, says this one has set up an online fundraising page claiming she needs money to travel from America to the UK for a DNA test.
Richard said: "They're giving money to a scammer who, in reality, is just scamming the money on the back of my daughter's case. We're not prepared to let it go but the sad part is that as time progresses, more and more people could be conned into giving money.
"She's saying that she's got to come from America to England because she needs to take a DNA test. Now, on the JustGiving page, she says that she's contacted all the authorities and she's also contacted the Royal Military Police. Well, the Royal Military Police haven't informed me, and obviously I'm taking this up with the Royal Military Police.
"It's painful because it's wider. It's not focused on just my family and Katrice's story, it now involves the general public and among that, there is a massive amount of support for my family and I'm saddened to think that some of those are being scammed.
"They, like me, want my case resolved and they are hoping that this may help to resolve that situation. And sadly, and I'm not saying that the general public are gullible, but the way that it's been put together, it sounds as though it's real and that's where I'm frightened of, them giving money.
"We're trying to get it widespread that this devious character, she's put a very, very good case out there, taking things off some of my interviews, so it comes across as being very genuine. There are red flags there. She's been to the authorities. Why have the authorities pushed her away?
"Do not donate to this individual. She is a scammer. And what I've recently been informed is that she has done this to other families who are in a similar situation to myself. So please don't donate.
"I'm saddened that there are platforms and legislations in place for just this sort of thing. However, they don't seem to be kicking in. We've complained to the various agencies and the various platforms and at the moment it's still going out on YouTube. Please don't donate.
"We've put it out on Katrice's page, we've also complained to Facebook and as a family, we've been on to the Royal Military Police. We've also engaged with the Foreign Office. And Natasha, my oldest daughter, she's actually got the telephone number of the American police, she rang the American police and she filled out a form but when it got to where you live, she put in England and it just blanked her out again and every time she tried it. So I would assume that the line that she's been given is for people that are in America."
Richard believes Katrice was abducted and could still be alive.