Jay Slater's disappearance in Tenerife hijacked by sick fundraising scam

During his final call to a friend at 8am local time on Monday, the 19-year-old said his phone had only one per cent battery, he was thirsty and he did not know where he was.

His last location shows the Rural de Teno Park - an area popular among hikers.

Since his disappearance, sniffer dogs and mountain rescue experts have been searching for Jay, and an official Facebook group has been set up to provide updates.

However, cruel fraudsters have jumped on the opportunity to make some money from Slater’s disappearance, and around seven fake GoFundMe pages have been set up in his name.

The family of the apprentice bricklayer have since begged kind strangers not to donate to the bogus pages.

His mother, Debbie Duncan, has revealed that she has received prank phone calls from the trolls who have claimed to have kidnapped her son.

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She said: “Some of the phone calls I've been getting have been horrible. I just don't know why people would want to do things like this.”

A Facebook group set up by his family posted: “This is the only official ‘missing Jay Slater’ Facebook group. Jay's mother DOES NOT want a GoFundMe set up so DO NOT donate to one!!”

Various members replied to say there are “about seven” fake fundraisers circulating that some people have donated “£100+” to.

It is understood that all the bogus pages have been taken down as of this morning.

A spokesman for the fundraising site said: "At GoFundMe, being a safe and trusted place to give and receive help is our top priority. We have reached out to Jay Slater's family and can confirm no funds have been or will be released from campaigns associated with his disappearance unless we can verify they will go directly to them.

"We have seen no indication of misuse and have a team of experts working around the clock to review fundraisers. This process includes both a human review from our world-class Trust & Safety experts as well as technical tools designed to catch misuse.

"At moments like this, we often see people set up campaigns to benefit strangers when they are moved to help. That is why we work with organisers to ensure any money donated goes to the right place."

Duncan, who has been staying on the south of the island, where her son had been holidaying, told The Daily Mail: “I'm obviously beside myself with worry which is why I've flown out here with my eldest son to do anything we can to help.

“We're just praying the police or someone finds Jay. I know there's a mountain rescue team out and a helicopter.

“Nothing's ever going to be enough when your youngest son's gone missing but it sounds as if the police here are taking this very seriously and doing the best job they can.”

The teenager was last spotted wearing a white t-shirt, shorts, and trainers, as well as carrying a black bag.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Spain and are in contact with the local authorities.”