Hi, my name is Aaron, and I’m creating this fundraiser for my son, Brailin. He was recently the victim of a very convincing scam that took over $3,000 from him. This was money he had worked extremely hard to save for college.

My son, who recently graduated from high school and will be starting college this fall, has been doing everything on his own. He bought his car in cash and pays for his own insurance, cell phone, and food. He’s saved up this money to help cover school expenses like tuition, books, and food. All of it was his own hard-earned money, and now a large sum of it is gone because of a scam that took advantage of his trust.

It started when my son was helping me sell a few things around the house on Facebook Marketplace to make some extra money. After a few successful sales, someone messaged him about buying an item and asked for his number to send the payment through Zelle.

He soon got what looked like a real Zelle message saying he couldn’t receive the money unless his account was upgraded to a business account. The buyer said she would send the extra amount needed for the upgrade and asked him to send it back once it went through. Then, he received a phone call from someone claiming to be a Truist representative who walked him through the process.

Unfortunately, it was all a scam. The person on the phone wasn’t from the bank, and they ended up gaining access to his account and wiping out his savings. This was money my son had worked hard to earn and was planning to use for college.

As a parent, it hurts to see your child go through something like this. He feels embarrassed and defeated, but he also wants to share his experience so others can avoid the same thing. That is why we are making this fundraiser.

If you are able to help in any way, we would be extremely grateful. Every donation will go toward helping him recover financially so he can continue focusing on school. Even a small amount would mean a lot. If you can’t donate, please consider sharing this story to help raise awareness. These scams are becoming more common and they can happen to anyone.

Thank you so much for your time, your support, and your kindness.