Fake Funeral Live Streams: A New Low for Facebook Scammers

In recent months, cybersecurity experts from Malwarebytes have increasingly observed a new form of fraud on Facebook, targeting individuals who have lost loved ones. Scammers exploit stolen photographs and fake links to “live streams” of funerals to extort money and credit card information.

This type of scam is becoming more prevalent as emerging cybercriminals quickly adopt successful schemes. Employing well-tested methods, they attract a growing number of participants to their fraudulent activities.

There are two primary approaches that these fraudsters currently employ. In one case, they create fake links to funeral broadcasts, inviting users to click the link to watch the ceremony and encouraging them to share the link with friends and relatives. In the other, they solicit donations on behalf of the deceased’s family.

Typically, the scam begins with a comment under a funeral announcement on Facebook. The comment suggests that users can donate money and offers a link to view the broadcast. The domains to which these links lead are frequently blocked by antivirus programs, yet the scammers continually generate new websites to sustain their operations.

Once users click the link, they are directed to a page where they are prompted to register. Although the individual initially clicked the link to watch the funeral stream, they are redirected to a page that requests credit card information to activate “membership.”

These fraudulent sites justify the need for credit card details by claiming a license requirement for streaming video, but in reality, they attempt to charge the card under the guise of membership fees. Fine print indicates that users automatically agree to additional paid services with recurring charges.

Cybercriminals swiftly respond to new funeral announcements, using fake profiles with images of the deceased, sourced from funeral home websites or tribute pages. These posts appear credible and can deceive even the most vigilant users.

Some American funeral homes have already begun adding warnings that funerals are not streamed online to protect people from these scams. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) also emphasizes that there should be no charges for viewing official broadcasts and that links to them are provided exclusively to the deceased’s immediate family.

It is crucial to be wary of friend requests from strangers on social media, as these may be scammers trying to gain access to your posts. Suspicious comments with links should be reported to the platform’s administration immediately to prevent potential fraud. Additionally, one should never enter credit card details on unfamiliar websites.