NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The same van with a temporary tag is being used in cities where solicitors use photos of children to ask for money for fake funerals, a WSMV4 Investigation found.
It's the latest discovery into the scheme, first exposed by WSMV4 Investigates in February 2023, in which we found people using different photos of children to ask for money for fake funerals.
As we approached to ask questions, the people ran and disappeared into parking lots.
We found the same solicitation happening again on November 1 at the intersection of White Bridge Road and Charlotte Pike.
The sign, held by a woman, featured the photograph of a child with the word "FUNERAL." Beneath was written, "Danie Nacu, 9 years old, died in a car accident, please any help God bless."
All of the signs we've documented show the exact same placement of a child's picture in the corner, with lettering that it similar.
As we approached, recording with a phone, the woman immediately turned her sign so it couldn't be read.
"How are you doing?" asked WSMV4 Investigates. "I was just driving by and I saw your sign. I was looking to see what it said. Who is on your sign?"
"No speak English," she said.
It's the same response we got in February 2023 from a different woman. When pressed, the woman admitted she was holding the sign to make money for her "job." She then took off running.
In the Nov. 1 encounter, the woman hurried away, turning the sign away each time we asked to view it. She ultimately started walking through traffic towards the Walgreens parking lot.
As we followed, a man was waiting on the sidewalk beside the parking lot, visibly angry.
"Why did you do that?" the man asked.
WSMV4 Investigates began to explain. "We're asking questions about -- "
The man then grabbed our phone, asking why we were recording, and then started walking away.
WSMV4 Investigates retrieved our phone from the man and continued to record.
"Listen, I'm a reporter -- " WSMV4 Investigates began to ask.
"F*** off," the man said.
"Ok, I'm wanting to find out why you're putting these signs out there-" we asked.
"Go from here," he said. "I tell you to go from here."
"Can you explain to me who is the child on this sign?" we asked.
"Stop filming me," he said, grabbing our phone again, getting into a gray KIA van.
We once again retrieved our phone and continued recording, documenting how the woman holding the sign also got into the van, as well as another man holding a sign that he turned around to hide what was written.
The van then drove away, slowing down enough to throw a can at us as we recorded.
Periodically, WSMV4 Investigates looks for news reports across the country for reports of the scam, and that's how we found reporting from our NBC affiliate in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
WOOD-TV Investigative reporter Ken Kolker approached people holding signs similar to those in Nashville, featuring a different child.
When he approached, one man hit his camera with his sign and another woman tried to cover up the camera.
The solicitors also piled into a gray KIA van and then drove away.
WSMV4 Investigates then noticed that the gray KIA van in Nashville and the van in Grand Rapids looked almost identical, although the solicitors were different.
WSMV4 Investigates then zoomed in on the license plates. Both have the same year (2007) and the same lettering. Video from the van in Grand Rapids shows it to be a temporary tag out of Arizona.
After we shared our findings with metro police, a spokesman wrote that the people in our videos could be charged with theft for "obtaining money by fraudulent means." The police spokesman also said they would be sharing our findings with the precincts for "awareness and increased vigilance."
A spokeswoman for Grand Rapids police replied in an email that they had no active investigation and did not respond to additional questions.
WOOD-TV reported that a spokesperson for the police department told the station that the department has "information that this is a traveling group that is attempting to solicit funds with fraudulent means in the area."
We shared our findings with Todd Rush, who, after seeing our first report in 2023, periodically sends us photographs of the solicitors when he sees them in Nashville.
"So this is bigger than we thought it was," Rush said. "So, they're traveling state to state."
Rush said he gets aggravated each time he sees the solicitors.
"They're stealing money from people. It's basically stealing," he said.
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