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BR icon's family says non-verified GoFundMe pages circulating after her death
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BATON ROUGE- The family of Sadie Roberts-Joseph is urging caution Wednesday after a number of non-verified fundraisers began circulating the internet in the wake of her death.
"The family has not yet set up any means of donating to the museum," said Jason Roberts, Sadie's son. "There are apparently a couple of GoFundMe accounts that have surfaced."
As the family was mourning the loss of Roberts-Joseph, they began noticing fundraising pages popping up in California, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The Attorney General's consumer division warns that there could be scammers trying to take advantage of this situation.
"You can't make clear misrepresentations," said Chris Styron, with the Attorney General's Office. "If you're saying the funds are going one place and they are not... That's illegal."
Sadie Roberts-Joseph was the founder and curator of the Odell S. Williams Museum of African American History. She was found suffocated in the trunk of her car last week. Baton Rouge Police arrested Ronn Bell and announced in a press conference that he was $1,200 behind on rent to Roberts-Joseph.
Wednesday, a number of people showed up to the museum to pay their respects to the woman who gave so much back to the community.
Diane Cosey was one of them. She was in shock that people might be trying to take advantage of her death already.
"They need to be stopped immediately," Cosey said. "That's not the way we do things to show love. Trying to get some easy money that you're not even committed for. That must stop."
The Attorney General's Office said if anyone suspects there's a scam they can contact the AG Consumer Protection Hotline. That number is 1-800-351-4889.
If you would like to donate, the family said there is an approved account. It's the Sadie Roberts Joseph Memorial fund at Hancock Whitney Bank.
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