Golfing Phenom's Name Hijacked In Cyberspace
Tuesday's junior golf tournament in Palm Harbor was good practice for 12-year-old Dakoda Dowd, who's just a few months away from her professional golfing debut. Dakoda was granted special permission to play with the pros in April in order to fulfill her mother's dying wish.
"I've been diagnosed with breast cancer, which has spread to bone cancer and liver cancer. But my main goal is to spend every day together and let it be as positive as possible," explained Dakoda's mother, Kelly Jo Dowd.
With Dakoda's rising fame, the family was hoping to set up a website at DakodaDowd.com to collect money for cancer research in Kelly Jo's name. But when they went create the website, they found the domain name had already been taken by an unofficial website using Dakoda's picture and name.
Someone named Shawn Jackman bought DakodaDowd.com after learning about her story in October. The Dowds say they don't know Jackman and he has no relation to the family.
According to the Dowds, Jackman originally agreed to give the name up when Dakoda's father first contacted him. But now they say he won't give it up unless they pay $5,000.
"It ended abruptly with the sound of the phone hanging up on his end. He told me basically, 'Let's start the bidding at $5,000 and see where we go,' " recalled Ryan Julison of Ginn Co., Dakoda's corporate sponsor.
No one answered when Action News went looking for Jackman at his Largo home, and several phone calls to him were not returned.
"It's a little bizarre, I don't know what his plans are. He said he wanted to give the site as a gift to Dakoda, but never made any contact with the family. Then when I asked him, 'Here's your opportunity to give the gift,' he declined," Julison continued.
The family says the last time anyone heard from Jackman was last Thursday, when he told them the going rate for the domain name was $5,000. Now, the Dowds are hoping he'll reconsider so they can put the whole thing behind them and focus on Dakoda's golf career and Kelly Jo's treatment.
"This man's done something wrong. And unfortunately, it frightens me, as a mom, to know that he's been able to take my daughter's name and to take her face and develop a website from it," Kelly Jo added.
In the meantime, Ginn Co. has secured all other possible domain names for the 12-year-old. They are also looking into possible legal action against Jackman.
"I've been diagnosed with breast cancer, which has spread to bone cancer and liver cancer. But my main goal is to spend every day together and let it be as positive as possible," explained Dakoda's mother, Kelly Jo Dowd.
With Dakoda's rising fame, the family was hoping to set up a website at DakodaDowd.com to collect money for cancer research in Kelly Jo's name. But when they went create the website, they found the domain name had already been taken by an unofficial website using Dakoda's picture and name.
Someone named Shawn Jackman bought DakodaDowd.com after learning about her story in October. The Dowds say they don't know Jackman and he has no relation to the family.
According to the Dowds, Jackman originally agreed to give the name up when Dakoda's father first contacted him. But now they say he won't give it up unless they pay $5,000.
"It ended abruptly with the sound of the phone hanging up on his end. He told me basically, 'Let's start the bidding at $5,000 and see where we go,' " recalled Ryan Julison of Ginn Co., Dakoda's corporate sponsor.
No one answered when Action News went looking for Jackman at his Largo home, and several phone calls to him were not returned.
"It's a little bizarre, I don't know what his plans are. He said he wanted to give the site as a gift to Dakoda, but never made any contact with the family. Then when I asked him, 'Here's your opportunity to give the gift,' he declined," Julison continued.
The family says the last time anyone heard from Jackman was last Thursday, when he told them the going rate for the domain name was $5,000. Now, the Dowds are hoping he'll reconsider so they can put the whole thing behind them and focus on Dakoda's golf career and Kelly Jo's treatment.
"This man's done something wrong. And unfortunately, it frightens me, as a mom, to know that he's been able to take my daughter's name and to take her face and develop a website from it," Kelly Jo added.
In the meantime, Ginn Co. has secured all other possible domain names for the 12-year-old. They are also looking into possible legal action against Jackman.
posted by John at 6:47 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home