MESA, Ariz. - Jared Aguilar is very much alive, but his friends and family weren't so sure on Christmas morning.
"Our dear friend Jared Aguilar passed away tragically earlier this Christmas morning." read a post on GoFundMe.com.
Aguilar's Facebook page was tagged in the post and then shared 15 times by family and friends. The post was attempting to raise $5,000 to help bury Aguilar, who -- again -- is still alive.
"We opened up presents and whatnot. My brother calls me over and says 'Hey I found this, you're dead," Aguilar said. "I'm like 'What the heck, what's going on?"
Turns out, a scammer grossly exaggerated his demise online, in hopes of stealing money from people who would be grieving his death on Christmas Day.
"My phone is blowing up at this point. Friends, co-workers -- people I haven't talked to me in two years are calling me, texting me," Aguilar said.
He is taking the whole thing in stride, even joking around with friends in the Facebook comments. Even in death, Aguilar was finding ways to live happier.
"It's kind of scary, but when you look at it in a logical sense, it's nothing. Just a scam," Aguilar said.
Facebook deleted the post within a few minutes of reporting it, and nobody donated money to the GoFundMe page. Aguilar isn't looking for the scammer and really doesn't care because he isn't pressing charges.
The Mesa Police Department says this type of crime would be considered fraud and this scammer could have been charged with a Class 2 felony.
Regardless, Jared Aguilar is alive. Carry on.