'Sickening': Scammers exploit death of beloved golfer Jarrod Lyle

Low-life scammers have set up fake fundraising accounts exploiting the death of much-loved golfer Jarrod Lyle.

Three weeks after the golfer's passing, wife Briony Lyle has sent a message to followers warning people of the scam.

"Yet another Insta account has appeared to take advantage of Jarrod's death... I apologise for the nuisance," she wrote online.

The fake social media accounts purported to be Briony and targeted users asking for donations.

"All we need now is your support, love and prayer. I can't imagine myself as a widow but here I am one already," one wrote.

Jarrod's friends, including Challenge CEO David Rogers, have hit out at the opportunistic thieves.

"It's just really sickening, so we were disgusted and we just wanted to make people aware of it," Mr Rogers said.

The golfer's former coach Sandy Jamieson described the situation as "awful".

"I'm not even going to waste time thinking about them, they don't deserve it," Mr Jamieson said.

The fake accounts have since disappeared, but friends say it has caused more pain for the family.

"Briony needs to have time to grieve and so this doesn't help all it does is inflame the situation a little bit," Mr Rogers said.

Charities Australia commissioner Gary Johns has warned others to be wary of online scammers.

"Always check that the charity is on our website so that it's registered, and donate through their website, that is the safest thing to do," Dr Johns said.

A public memorial for Lyle will be held at Torquay in late September.