Photo by Austinmurphy | CC BY-SA 3.0
Pennsylvania resident Jessica Cornell Smith faked her treatment at the Abraham Cancer Center and scammed donations.
Pennsylvania resident Jessica Cornell Smith scammed nearly $10,000 through Facebook and GoFundMe donations for a nonexistent cancer diagnosis, NBC Philadelphia reported.
She claimed to be receiving treatment at the "Abraham Cancer Center" at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The correct spelling is the Abramson Cancer Center. She was arrested on Nov. 4.
The 32-year-old from Chester County also reportedly fabricated her father’s death, according to NBC. She allegedly told her employer that her father died in order to get a day off work. Her employer was a Chester County fire protection company.
She also claimed that her insurance coverage had a $15,000 deductible.
Smith’s husband turned her into the police in July, according to CBS Philly. He said she was on his insurance plan and that her medical bills had not reached the $1,250 medical deductible. He also had no documents that she had cancer.
She is additionally facing charges of impersonating both a Penn nurse and a doctor for personal purposes.
In April 2019, Rob Solomon, the CEO of GoFundMe, told NBC News that it was necessary for GoFundMe to be “the most trusted brand in the space,” and have provided guidelines on how to avoid scams through their program and ensure the safety of donations through their guaranteed refund of protected funds.
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