Hackers clear out bank account filled with donations for Orlando man battling cancer

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando family was hit with another major setback in a man’s cancer fight.

Initially, Sherri Tyson and her son, Zane, were having challenges coming home during the pandemic after Zane’s out-of-state cancer treatment.

Now, back in Orlando, Sherri said her bank account, which contained the $14,000 raised through GoFundMe to help with Zane’s treatments, was hacked.

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“Well it’s definitely been a challenging year for many for most people for all of the obvious reasons, but Zane has had it particularly rough medically,” Sherri said.

A year ago this month, Zane was rushed to AdventHealth in Orlando after experiencing intense headaches. Scans revealed he had a brain tumor.

Sherri said she felt like throwing up with she woke up to a zeroed-out bank account.

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“Your stomach just drops,” she said.

Sherri said she received a text message from AT&T about a request of transfer. At first, she didn’t think much of it. But then she couldn’t access her phone. Then she started checking her bank accounts.

Sherri filed a report with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, she contacted her banks, the IRS and the credit bureau.

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“It was terrible to see, but I knew that I would get it back as long as tenacious about it,” she said.

She has yet to receive the money back but someone from the consumer fraud unit came to her home to help with next steps.

Sherri’s bank is currently working on sending a cashier’s check to her home.

Sherri recommends calling your phone provider to lock your phone number, which can act as an extra layer of protection against hackers.

Video: How a 21-year-old Central Florida man’s cancer battle is complicated by the pandemic The first few months of Zane Tyson’s cancer battle were already difficult before the coronavirus pandemic swept in and made his treatments and care even more complicated.