Javier Acosta's family warns about scammers who profit from his story
The family of Javier Acosta, a Millonarios fan who died after euthanasia, warns about scammers on social media
Acosta, 36, was left in a wheelchair after a traffic accident more than nine years ago. Later, he contracted a bacteria and, more recently, was diagnosed with cancer. These conditions led him to make the difficult decision to resort to euthanasia, a procedure that was carried out on August 30 in a medical facility after his admission to the San Ignacio Hospital.
In an emotional video, recorded from a stretcher and connected to various devices, Acosta shared his story on social media, where it reached millions of views. "The hardest thing is that they are going to euthanize me, they give me an injection and I'm going to rest. (...) It's hard, my family supports me, they know it's the best decision I've made, that it's not easy," he said at the time.
The repercussions of his case mobilized Millonarios fans and football figures, such as Falcao García, who even promised to dedicate a goal to him.
However, the media attention that Acosta's story received also attracted malicious people. Jennifer Arévalo, close to the deceased, warned through her social networks about the appearance of fraudulent accounts that use Acosta's name, photographs and videos to profit. "There are people who are profiting at the expense of my brother and his family's pain. BE CAREFUL, DO NOT LET THEM SCAM YOU. WE ARE NOT ASKING FOR MONEY," Arévalo denounced on Facebook, also warning TikTok users about these scammers.
Arévalo shared one of Acosta's last videos before his death, accompanying it with an emotional message: "This morning while we were playing, we strangely said that it was the consequence of mixing medicines with Coca Cola. Today I want to tell you that they were the best hours, I will always love you daddy."
In his last posts, made on August 27 and 28, Acosta thanked those who had shown him their support during his last days. Among them, he mentioned an artist who drew his face as a tribute, and the technical director of Millonarios, Alberto Gamero, as well as Falcao García, for his words of encouragement and prayers.
Finally, Arévalo reminded Internet users that it is possible to report identity theft on each social network using the "Report profile" option with the "Scam, fraud or identity theft" category. This report allows the platform to review the case and eliminate the fraudulent accounts.