Lincoln Sexual Assault Survivors Group Defrauded

Organizers of a campaign to help an organization that supports survivors of sexual assault have been defrauded out of more than $10, Lincoln police said Thursday.

The “kNOw More” campaign at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln raised $10,960 by selling T-Shirts after an alleged sexual assault at a campus fraternity in August prompted a week of protests.

The organizers, affiliated with 402ink, a Lincoln screen printer, reported the fraud to Lincoln police Wednesday evening, Officer Erin Spilker said.

As the campaign’s leaders prepared to send the money to the advocacy group Voices of Hope, a third party emailed the print shop and claimed to be a representative of the organization, The Lincoln Journal Star reported.

Organizers then wired the money to an account included in the email, Spilker said. Voices of Hope later contacted the group to say it had not received the money.

The perpetrator used a private email not affiliated with Voices of Hope when contacting the screen printer, Spilker said. Police continue to investigate the fraud.