Fake funeral “live stream” scams target grieving users on Facebook

Some scammers have the morals of an alley cat. But some sink even lower. Over the last few months, Malwarebytes Labs has discovered scammers active on Facebook that prey on bereaved people by using stolen images and phony funeral live stream links to steal money and/or credit card details.

These scammers are becoming more active and new cybercriminals are picking up the method as well, which is something we see very often. When some scheme works, more lowlifes join in. Currently, we are aware of two different approaches. One uses fake live stream links of the funeral. It asks people to follow a link where they can watch the funeral service and to share the link among their friends and family. The other asks for donations on behalf of the family of the deceased.

In March of 2024, the BBC warned that these cybercriminals sometimes respond to a posted memorial message within minutes. Using a fake profile and including the photograph and personal details of the dead person in their post.

The cybercriminals are good at making these Facebook posts look real. They often copy and paste real photographs of the deceased person taken from a funeral director’s site or a genuine tribute site. But they are fake and could turn out very costly for those that fall for them.

For more information see Pieter Arntz "Fake funeral “live stream” scams target grieving users on Facebook" Malwarebytes.com, August 23, 2024.

Special thanks to Joel C. Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this article to my attention.