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Friends of Tim McLean, killed in a brutal attack on a Greyhound bus in Manitoba in late July, say someone has been cashing in on the tragedy by posing as his sister to solicit donations.
The situation began when a man in Vancouver, Ron Schinners, launched a Facebook group with the angry title "Severed head killer!!! Cops should of killed you! R.I.P Tim McLean" in the wake of McLean's death aboard a Greyhound bus in Manitoba on July 30.
Ron Schinners was approached by someone claiming to be Tim McLean's sister who solicited donations on his Facebook group. (CBC)The group became one of many places people around the world began leaving memorial messages and expressing their outrage over McLean's death.
About a week ago, Schinners was contacted on Facebook by a person who identified herself as "Amanda McLean," Tim McLean's sister.
"She was saying that her family was having financial trouble and whatnot, and totally did the sob story," he told CBC News.
"She was giving me inside information, so-called, on her family's financial hardship. I did believe it."
Schinners felt sorry for the woman; he also felt an emotional connection to the case, since one of his family members was a murder victim. He made the woman an administrator of the Facebook group, and she set up a PayPal account to collect donations, supposedly for the family.
But he began to get suspicious when the person began making nasty comments online and provided no photos of herself with McLean.
Real Amanda discovers site
Tim McLean poses in an undated photo with a friend's daughter. About 600 people paid their final respects to McLean at a funeral in Winnipeg on Aug. 9. (Canadian Press)Then, McLean's real sister Amanda — who goes by her married surname, Corrigan — visited the site and discovered someone was using her maiden name to collect money. The family and other group members took down all references to the PayPal account from the group's page, and the family contacted police.
Schinners heard that some people donated money through the site, but he said he wasn't sure how many or how much.
He said he feels "really stupid" about believing the woman, adding that he's also being harassed with hateful messages from people who believe he benefited from the scheme.
Officials with PayPal wouldn't comment on the case, but said when the company receives such complaints, they operate on a "guilty until proven innocent" policy, under which an account would be shut down until the person can prove that they are who they say they are and that the money is being collected for the purpose they claim.
Bank legitimately accepting donations
RCMP officials wouldn't confirm whether an investigation into the matter was taking place, but said cases like this would typically be examined by the force's commercial crimes division.
The RCMP suggested that people who want to donate to a good cause should investigate before handing over any money to ensure funds are going where they intend, especially on Facebook or other websites, where people may not be who they say they are.
There is a legitimate way to donate money to the McLean family: through any TD Canada Trust branch. Money donated through the bank will pay for the costs of McLean's funeral, held Aug. 9, and a permanent memorial, the family says. Any leftover funds will be given to charity; the family has not yet determined which one.
McLean, 22, was returning home on July 30 from a job in Edmonton when a fellow passenger stabbed him to death aboard the bus at about 8:30 p.m. CT.
Vince Weiguang Li of Edmonton has been charged with second-degree murder. At his latest court appearance on Tuesday, the judge ordered a psychiatric assessment to determine whether Li, 40, is fit to stand trial.
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