Liam Hinphey: 'Disturbing' fake fundraising page removed
- Published
Derry GAA said Mr Hinphey had dedicated his life to Gaelic games
A fake online fundraising account set up following the death of a man, credited with transforming the sport of hurling in the north-west, has been taken down.
Liam Hinphey Sr, a former player and manager of County Derry senior hurlers, died on Sunday.
He was also a founder of the Kevin Lynch Hurling Club in Dungiven.
Club secretary Cathal Hassan described the fake GoGetFunding page as "disturbing".
The page appeared to have been set up by Mr Hinphey's wife. But his family and friends later posted on social media to say that was not the case and urged people not to donate.
GoGetFunding confirmed to BBC News NI that it had now been removed.
Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Evening Extra programme, Mr Hassan said he was made aware of the fake account shortly after Mr Hinphey's funeral on Tuesday.
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"The unfortunate thing was some monies had been passed into it. It had no authorisation from anyone in the club or in the family or anywhere else, it was very disappointing, very annoying," he said.
"A lot of people were quite angry".
He described the fraud as "disturbing, disappointing and shocking".
"If there is anything to be learned from it is this stuff should be traceable," Mr Hassan said.
He added: "There is nothing to stop anybody from opening a funding page, and if that damages genuine funding pages then it has not been a good thing."
Mr Hinphey, pictured cutting the first sod in Kevin Lynch Park, has been described as an "iconic figure"
GoGetFunding said such scams are created by professional scammers and often create legitimate looking campaigns.
"We of course ban and remove any that come to our attention via our own detection methods, but do also rely on people that bring these to our attention to help us remove these campaigns as quickly as possible," a spokeswoman said.
She added: "If any funds were received on the campaign, we would have refunded any funds we were able to."
Derry GAA said Mr Hinphey, centre, had transformed hurling locally
Mr Hassan said Mr Hinphey, a former school teacher, had been "an iconic figure locally".
He had played for and managed Derry hurling teams and was a selector when the county's senior footballers claimed Ulster titles in 1975 and 1976.
In a statement Derry GAA said Mr Hinphey had "transformed hurling in the Dungiven area, and then the county".
He had dedicated his life to promoting and developing Gaelic games, the county board said.
"Our challenge is to follow his example. A giant of a man with a personality to match, Liam Hinphey's legacy will endure for generations to come."