Three people have been arrested on suspicion of impersonating relatives of hostages taken captive by Hamas on October 7 and taking cash donations of up to NIS 100,000 ($27,000), police announced Thursday.

One of the suspects was arrested on Thursday morning while attempting to flee the country, while the other two were arrested at their homes in the north, police said, adding that all three were in their 30s.

The suspects allegedly impersonated a number of different members of hostages’ families, using photos taken from social media, and reached out to members of the public via messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram asking for cash donations.

The police statement accused the suspects of “cynically exploiting the harsh reality and the public’s sympathy, with the aim of deceiving the citizens and fraudulently taking financial donations.”

The hostages were captured in the Hamas terror group’s October 7 massacres, when some 1,200 people were murdered amid scenes of horrific violence and over 240 were taken captive into the Gaza Strip. It is believed that 129 hostages abducted on October 7 remain in Gaza — not all of them alive.

Many relatives of hostages have been vocal advocates for their loved ones in the weeks since Hamas’s onslaught, speaking at mass protests, appearing on local and international media and touring the world to raise awareness.

The fraudulent scheme was discovered in an ongoing undercover investigation which police say is looking into dozens of cases of impersonation of hostages’ family members and Israelis who have been evacuated from the south and north of the country since October 7.