Scammers latch on to mother’s tragic death

A grieving mother whose daughter died while trying to save her own child has been targeted by scammers attempting to raise money in her name.

Kelsi Wood, 30, from Dargaville, died last Thursday trying to save her child from a rip at Baylys Beach in Northland.

Friends and family set up a Givealittle page following her death to help with funeral costs but another page has emerged on another site, trying to do the same.

Wood’s mother, Susan Fowlie, said the appeal page on Go Get Funding was fake and she asked people to steer clear of donating money to it. She knew nothing about it or who set it up.

Yesterday, the page had not yet raised any money.

‘‘It is just heart-wrenching that someone has done this,’’ Fowlie said. ‘‘Everyone is upset about it.

‘‘Someone is out there using [the] names of Kelsi’s friends to get money . . . using my name.’’

Fowlie was alerted to the page by a family friend on Sunday.

The scammers had created a Facebook page in her name and were messaging the fundraising link to her own friends. ‘‘I just can’t deal with it right now, it is absolutely shocking.’’

Fowlie said she and many others had reported the fake page to the website’s administrators but it was yet to be taken down.

Wood, an early childhood teacher at Dargaville Kindergarten, will be laid to rest tomorrow.

Fowlie said her daughter was a beautiful soul, who was an amazing mother, friend and loved by many.

‘‘She was full of vibrance and had an ‘I can do this’ attitude. She gave everything her very best, right to the end.’’

Wood has been described as a ‘‘devoted supermum’’. She was labelled a hero for saving her child.

‘‘We will miss her more than words can say,’’ Fowlie said.

Go Get Funding has been approached for comment.