You Can Help us Fight Funeral Fraud
Unfortunately, scammers have found a way to exploit people’s grief and generosity during their most vulnerable moments. They set up fake funeral live stream accounts on Facebook, invite friends of the deceased’s family members, and post fake live stream links along with requests for financial donations. During a recent funeral that we live streamed there were five separate attempts to set up fake Facebook accounts for the live stream. Thankfully, our community was able to quickly spot and report these fraudsters and have the accounts taken down.
How You Can Help Fight Funeral Fraud
You can help us fight funeral fraud by reporting these fake accounts to Facebook when you see them. Here’s how:
-
Go to the fake account’s profile page
-
Click the three dots at the top right corner
-
Select “Report Profile”
-
Choose “Fake Account” as the reason
-
Follow the prompts to submit your report
Verifying Authenticity with Virtual Memorial Gatherings
At Virtual Memorial Gatherings, we prioritize transparency and security. Here’s how you can verify our live stream posts:
-
Check the URL: Ensure it’s https://virtualmemorialgatherings.com, our secure website. You can go directly to our website and tap or click on the Obituaries link in the navigation menu to find the service you are looking for
-
Verify our branding: Confirm the logo and branding match our official website
- We will never ask for donations or require your credit card number to watch a live stream
Stay Informed and Share Authentic Announcements
Like or follow our Facebook page (https://facebook.com/virtualmemorialgatherings) for verified funeral and memorial service live stream announcements. By liking and sharing authentic announcements, you help ensure your friends receive the genuine link, not a fraudulent one.
Don’t friend or like a suspicious account.
During a time of loss, and when services for family and freinds are held, we are emotionally vulnerable and it can seem like the right thing to like an account with a loved one’s name on it, but it is exactly what the scammers want you to do so that they can hook as many people as possible by taking advantage of your grief.
Together, we can combat funeral fraud and protect those who are grieving. Report suspicious accounts, verify our live streams, and share authentic announcements to help us keep our community safe.
We’re here to help you plan a funeral, virtual memorial or facilitate a livestreaming option.
We’ll guide you through the options.
We’ll answer your questions.
We’ll make suggestions based on your expectations.
We’ll never pressure you. Be comfortable in the decisions you make.
