Harrowing warning as scammers target grievers through funeral links

Just when you thought scammers could not get any lower, they are now increasingly targeting this one group of people at their most vulnerable.

Mourners at their most vulnerable are being forced to defend their remaining loved ones from a new scam that is terrifying the industry.

Australian authorities warn scammers are setting up fake social media accounts using information and photos of deceased Aussies who are being honoured at upcoming funerals.

The heartless scammers then use these profiles to ask the deceased loved ones for payment to access funeral livestreams or provide donations.

Police in multiple Australian states have informed communities that funeral directors do not request payment or personal details to attend a funeral, adding if these requests face you, it is most likely a scam.

Despite authorities stepping in, Australian Funeral Directors Association chief executive Dale Gilson said the scammers are not slowing down yet.

“There’s been a steady growth in scams and particularly targeting funeral live streams over the past 18 months … we’re seeing an increase in scams, attempted scams,” Mr Gilson said to News.com.au.

Although scams are occurring for a variety of ticketed events, Mr Gilson agreed that there is something particularly despicable about targeting grievers using funerals.

“People are already distressed and going through a difficult time,” he said.

“Then to have someone target them deliberately and their family and friends during that time is as low as you can get.”

Australian Funeral Directors Association chief executive Dale Gilson said funeral live stream scams have been steadily increasing, and scammers using this tactic are “as low as you can get”.

Mr Gilson said the vulnerability of people during this time may be why scammers are purposely targeting funerals.

“They’re targeting them because they’re targeting people they know that they’re maybe not at their best, and they think they’ve got the greatest opportunity to take advantage of them,” he said.

Although many people escape the situation unscathed as associations like Mr Gilson’s keep all members and clients informed, it is still traumatising for many grievers.

“It’s incredibly distressing, they’ve already lost a loved one,” he said.

“You would expect that it would add a greater level of distraction and distress for families … hopefully there’s a limited impact if we can stop that (scams) from happening from the beginning.”

Police have recently sent out scam alerts regarding the fake funeral live streams as authorities and the industry team up in an attempt to stop people from becoming victims.

During News.com.au’s investigation, there were multiple people warning their friends and families with social media posts about legitimate upcoming funerals which had been used by scammers to defraud people who planned to pay their respects.

“PLEASE FAMILY AND FRIENDS DO NOT FALL FOR THIS SCAM!!!,” one post wrote.

“You may receive a request to join this group in your notifications. It then asks for your credit card details to view the live stream of the funeral.

“Instead, please press the 3 dots and report it as a scam.

“My goodness, how do these people sleep at night.”

Many in the comments were infuriated, and slammed the scammers for their base actions.

“Lowest of the low,” one user commented.

“Oh that’s so low. I have reported. Thank you for advising us,” another wrote.

Cybersecurity and fraud expert Simon Smith said scams like this have been around since the dawn of time, but are evolving with the technological world.

“Scams like this that pull on people’s heartstrings have been around for centuries,” Mr Smith told News.com.au.

“Everything is digital now, and scams are just adapting to those changes.”

Mr Smith advocated for social media giants to intervene and said there is a lot they could easily do to better protect users from scams.

However, he also said it is important for individuals to have their own “hard and fast rules” when it comes to sharing their private information, such as credit card numbers, which can be as easy as checking in with the wife first.

“It’s about having that other person checking, the other layer of protection.”

Cybersecurity and fraud expert Simon Smith said scams that pull on people’s heart strings have always been around, and speaking with friends and family about suspicious incidents may help prevent falling for scams.

The National Anti-Scam Centre is aware of “live streaming” related scams that are circulating on social media.

According to a spokesperson, Many reported incidents are related to sporting events, but it has now extended to funerals.

The spokesperson said those attending a funeral should contact the funeral home directly for live streaming details, research organisations hosting online events, and report scams on the platform they occur.

Originally published as Harrowing warning as scammers target grievers through funeral links