Keeping Your Community Safe from Facebook Scams
Scammers have become a disheartening reality in our modern, digital life, targeting vulnerable individuals. We see them in the funeral industry in forms such as the obituary scams or the 'Look who just died' scams. Another scam that has been emerging as a concern is Facebook streaming scams.
Scammers are exploiting obituaries by creating Facebook pages using the names and photos of the deceased. They post links claiming to lead to livestreams of the funerals. When users click these links, they are asked to pay for access, only to be redirected nowhere, resulting in the theft of their money and credit card information.
These scams are distressing, but the good news is that they are easy to spot. If you want to share some advice with your community or the families you support to help keep them safe, here is our top tips list:
- You will never be asked to pay or share credit card information to watch a livestream.
- If in doubt about something you see on Facebook, visit the official obituary on the funeral home website for the legitimate link.
- If you need time to check a link and the funeral is starting soon, rest assured, most streams will remain accessible for several months, ensuring you don’t miss the funeral.
- If you suspect you have come across a funeral live stream scam, report it to the following official bodies
- Report it to the funeral home handling arrangements.
- Report the post to the social media website where it appeared.
If families are concerned, they can keep the link private and use OneRoom’s invitation-only feature to share the streaming details.
Facebook has become a hotbed for scammers, but it is good for your community to know that your website is a trusted source of information where they can always find the official obituary, service information, and live-streaming information.
