ATLANTA – Someone is trying to make money off the late Shawty Lo’s Instagram account, according to his family.
According to two of Shawty Lo's sons, Carlos Walker Jr. and his brother Quandarious, their father's account was hacked in order for the poser to ask fans to make a $500 donation for a headstone, in their names. Family told only 11Alive that they're disturbed by the situation.
“(It) Hurt that somebody would even play with his legacy his name. Everything he stood for. Everything he built,” Carlos told 11Alive.
After an Internet user spotted one of the suspicious messages from the alleged poser, they alerted Baller Alert to the possible hack. The lifestyle/entertainment website posted to its Instagram, along with a message of concern from the user, a screenshot of the apparent direct message from Shawty Lo’s Instagram account to someone else.
In the screenshot, the Shawty Lo poser wrote, “I see u was a good friend of my dads he passed like a year ago n we wanna get him a head stone it’s only 500 we go 200 if u can off anything for his Head stone we a very much appreciate it its been had for the family.”
The caption, the message from the user said "I don't know how else to get the word out to other celebrities or friends of the late shawty lo but someone is using his account to scam people out of money. Could you please post or bring awareness to the situation. Their (sic) is no telling how many people this person has scammed out of money 😡"
Since the post by Baller Alert, the Instagram account has been shut down.
11Alive's Neima Abdulahi spoke to Walker and his brother Quandarious Thursday, who told her they were alarmed when they were contacted about the possible hacker.
"'I seen someone messaging me on your father's page pretending to be you or your brother'," Quandarious remembers a friend telling him. "I said, 'Huh?' 'Yeah, they were asking for crazy stuff.'"
They wanted to set the record straight to let all of their father's fans know that it was not them, and they would never stoop that low.
“How could you live with that," Quandarious asked. "You’re degrading my family. You’re degrading my side of town – Bankhead. You’re degrading my hood.”
Carlos and Quandarious told 11Alive it's been hard enough dealing with the loss of their father, and that they think of him all the time. But to have their father's name used in a negative way and overshadow his legacy? They said it crossed a line.
"He is an icon. He is a legend," Quandarious said. "We'll never dishonor our father."
They now hope to start a tribute page that will honor Bowen Homes' very own.
Photos | Shawty Lo through the years
Shawty Lo, born Carlos Walker, was killed in a single-car crash on I-285 in September of 2016. Officials said his vehicle slammed into a guardrail and caught fire. The two other passengers in the car survived.
He was the father of 11 children and was well-loved throughout Atlanta. The rapper gained worldwide success for hit songs such as “Dunn Dunn,” “Foolish,” “Laffy Taffy” and others.
Fatal Shawty Lo crash on I-285 at Cascade Road
PHOTOS | Rapper Shawty Lo laid to rest
