Scammers are targeting grieving families, posting links to fake funeral live streams on Facebook and asking for payment to access the service. Scammers may further make fake social media pages of loved ones to post the fake funeral livestream link.

The livestream option for funeral services is typically free to guests. If you are asked to provide payment, disengage and contact the organizer directly, such as the funeral home or the person who arranged the funeral services.

The array of scams that can occur on social media is virtually limitless. There are:

• Opportunities to grow your wealth through investment schemes,

• The chance to earn money through low-risk involvement, such being paid to have your portrait drawn,

• Advertisements that lead to purchasing items and services that do not exist,

• The development of false relationships

The scammers will stop at nothing.

Here are some things you can do to avoid fraud online:

• Limit your social media connections to people you actually know and have met in person.

• Know that accounts can be hacked so the “friend” contacting you could be a scammer.

• Turn on restrictive privacy settings that allow only those close contacts access to your pages and posts.

• Upon receiving an appealing offer take steps to verify and engage a trusted contact to scrutinize the offer.

If you have paid in response to one of these scams, contact your financial institution right away and alert about the fraud. Learn more recovery steps on our website: https://ago.vermont.gov/cap/recover-scams 

Please help stop scams by sharing this information with someone you know.

The Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) is your Vermont resource for consumer help and scam prevention information. Contact CAP at 1-800-649-2424 or https://ago.vermont.gov/cap.