Search group warns against fake fundraisers exploiting two children missing in N.S.

CITYnews halifax / By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia search and rescue organizations are warning the public about fundraisers claiming they’ll use donated cash to search for two missing children.

Paul Service, director of Halifax Search and Rescue, said in an interview Thursday that one GoFundMe campaign attempted to raise $100,000 to fund a drone to search for four-year-old Jack Sullivan and six-year-old Lilly Sullivan.

The campaign stated “any unused funds will go to Halifax Search and Rescue or other active missing children searches.”

Service said the non-profit, volunteer group didn’t authorize that statement, doesn’t normally request donations through GoFundMe and doesn’t base its fundraising campaigns on particular searches.

“We would never tie in a fundraising effort to a specific search,” he said.

A large-scale search was launched for the two children after they disappeared on May 2 in Lansdowne Station, N.S., and there have been two, smaller efforts since then involving volunteer searchers.

To date, there have been no signs of the children despite hundreds of ground search and rescue teams combing through the densely wooded area. The teams also used helicopters, drones and thermal imaging technologies.

On Tuesday, the volunteer group put out a warning on Facebook and other social media about “fraudulent individuals and organizations impersonating us and soliciting money for searches.”

Service said a representative from GoFundMe contacted him to say it was taking down the site and investigating after the campaign was reported on CBC.

He said that it is disheartening for his group to have to cope with scams, since it may discourage the public from donating to his group’s legitimate fundraising efforts.

“It’s discouraging from our point of view because there are … search and rescue teams in Nova Scotia that could all use donations to help keep their teams going or help buy additional equipment,” he said.

“These (false fundraising campaigns) challenge the legitimacy of all of the other fundraisers that the teams are doing and the good work those teams do.”

Service said his group is hearing reports of some people receiving telephone calls soliciting funds to help in the search for the children.

On May 31, the Pictou County Volunteer Ground Search and Rescue posted warnings telling its supporters it doesn’t use telemarketing to seek donations. “We had someone reach out saying they had been approached to give their credit card over the phone to donate to ‘help save children,’” the organization warned in an online posting.

Service said for people who want to donate to his organization, “the safest way is to … contact us directly,” on the group’s website.

He said his group receives close to $110,000 from the municipality and fundraises or seeks donations for about $40,000 to help meet an annual budget.

“Between April 1 and June 4, we’ve contributed over 4,000 hours of volunteer time responding to incidents,” said Service, adding this season has been among the busiest on record for ground search and rescue efforts in Halifax County.

GoFundMe told The Canadian Press in a statement that anyone can report a fundraiser at any time if they have concerns.

“When suspicious activity is flagged — whether through our tools, our community, or simply because a fundraiser starts gaining momentum — our dedicated experts will immediately investigate to verify its legitimacy,” GoFundMe wrote in the statement. “We have zero tolerance for the misuse of our platform.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2025.

Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press