Parents devastated as fraudsters use images of 9-year-old battling brain cancer for scams

The family of Julian, a 9-year-old boy courageously fighting brain cancer, is making a heartfelt plea for scammers to stop using his photos for fraudulent schemes. Julian’s father, Lee Galloway, expressed his disbelief that anyone would exploit his son’s illness for personal gain.

A battle against both cancer and online fraud

Julian was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in 2019. Since then, he has endured multiple surgeries, rounds of chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. Despite his valiant fight, his condition has relapsed twice, and doctors have given him just six months to a year to live, according to a report by ABC13.

“We are thoroughly and emotionally worn out,” Galloway shared with the outlet.

As if facing a terminal illness weren’t challenging enough, the Corpus Christi, Texas, family has been forced to contend with an additional burden: online scammers who are misusing Julian’s images to deceive people.

Scammers create fake accounts with Julian’s photos

The Galloway family created a Facebook page called Team Julian, where they document their son’s journey. With over 4,000 followers, the page serves as a community of support. However, it has also become a target for fraudsters.

Galloway first noticed the fraudulent activity last May when scammers set up fake TikTok accounts using Julian’s photos from two to three years ago. These accounts, under false names, directed unsuspecting users to a gaming site. While authorities investigated the scheme, they were unable to prove concrete fraud or identify victims.

But in the months that followed, new scams emerged. This time, the fake accounts solicited donations for a supposedly sick child, using links directing users to a PayPal account requesting money in euros.

“In December is when it really got a little bit more alarming because they were [using] pictures that were taken… a week prior,” Galloway said. “That was a little more distressing because it was brand new stuff.”

A painful and unexpected challenge

Galloway said he never imagined that social media would become another battleground for his family. “It was never in our thoughts. It was just a way to tell people all the exact information. We were so brand new into the cancer journey,” he said.

Reporting the fake accounts has proven frustrating. Despite his efforts, Galloway said he often encounters obstacles when trying to get fraudulent profiles removed from social media platforms.

“Sometimes there are things you want to report that don’t fit into any of the categories on their reporting page on any of the social media sites,” he told ABC13. “When you don’t click the right thing and no one actually sees it, it’s just some AI that says we’ve reviewed this and it doesn’t violate any terms of use. That’s frustrating.”

Real GoFundMe raises thousands for Julian

Meanwhile, the legitimate GoFundMe campaign for Julian, which is linked on the Team Julian Facebook page, has raised more than $38,000 to support his medical expenses and care.

To counteract the fraudulent TikTok accounts, the family launched an official TikTok page for Julian earlier this month.

Fighting back against fraud

In a Facebook post, the family announced: “Okay, here is the official Team Julian TikTok! Don’t be alarmed if you see this profile out there. This account was created by us primarily to be able to report the scammers on TikTok. After researching and the help of an old family friend who has an inside track at the company, we needed an account to say this is the real Julian.”

To further establish the authenticity of their page, Galloway recorded a video of Julian holding a handwritten sign with the date, his real name, his location, and his TikTok handle, @teamjulianofficial.

“That way, we can prove easily to TikTok that this is who is running this account,” Galloway told The Independent.

Despite the family’s efforts to combat fraud, the emotional toll remains heavy. “I appreciate when people alert us about these fake accounts,” Galloway said. “But it’s hurtful every time to open up that inbox and get those messages.”

Victims of fake fundraising scams can report their experiences on the Harris County Attorney’s Stay Scam Free page.