As if scammers couldn't go any further, a new online scam is emerging that takes advantage of grieving people.
It's a strange pirate scam that uses artificial intelligence to scrape data to build fake obituary websites, using information about deceased people to trick vulnerable victims.
![obit scam 1](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/1200/675/1-How-scammers-have-sunk-to-a-new-low-with-an-AI-obituary-scam-targeting-the-grieving-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
A woman in mourning at the grave. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
We can only hope that this unfortunate situation does not affect you or anyone you care about. Unfortunately, when you pass away, there is little you can do to prevent someone exploiting your obituary for their own gain. However, these scammers especially target kind-hearted individuals who are still alive and willing to help grieving family members. It is important to be vigilant and protect yourself and your loved ones from such fraudulent activities.
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![woman is sad](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/1200/675/2-How-scammers-have-sunk-to-a-new-low-with-an-AI-obituary-scam-targeting-the-grieving.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
A sad woman is sitting on the floor. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
More: How Scammers Are Trying to Take Advantage of Your Grief and Money in New Funeral Scam
How fake obituaries or ‘bereavement scams’ work
Have you ever gone onto a social media account and seen someone posting an obituary page for someone who has passed away? Perhaps you clicked on a link to learn about the person, their impact, how they passed, or to read information about the funeral.
Maybe you want to send flowers to the family or make a donation in that person's name. Of course, the last thing on your mind when someone dies is whether it could be a scam. However, bereavement scams by ruthless fraudsters have increased.
Monitor search trends
Scammers first monitor Google search trends to determine when people are searching for obituaries after a death.
What is artificial intelligence (AI)?
Create a fake obituary
Then, once the scammers figure out who has died, they create a fake obituary with the help of AI, which is hosted on a legitimate funeral/memorial website.
SEO Optimization
Next, the scammer uses SEO tactics to optimize these pages so that when someone searches for a specific person's obituary page, the scammer's page ranks first.
A trap has been set
Potential victims then click on it and see a CAPTCHA prompt that redirects them to an electronic dating or adult entertainment site or unknowingly installs a web push notification or pop-up. When you click, an ad will appear.
These may provide fake virus alerts, but link to the legitimate landing page of a subscription-based antivirus software program. Worrying that they might accidentally download a virus can lead innocent victims to fall for the scam instead.
Scammers profit in two ways.
After that, two things can happen:
- Scammers make money from this through affiliate rewards programs by tricking people into downloading software into thinking they need it.
- Scammers make money through ads on their pages where they pay per impression.
So even though it doesn't explicitly target you in the same way as other scams, it's still very creative. but Secureworks Counter Threat Unit The scam currently emphasizes that it does not infect devices with malware, so it is possible that this scam will develop in that direction in the near future.
![woman sad on the phone](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/1200/675/3-How-scammers-have-sunk-to-a-new-low-with-an-AI-obituary-scam-targeting-the-grieving.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Sad woman looking at her cell phone. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
More information: How to prevent your password from being deleted
How to Protect Yourself from Falling for an Obituary Scam
To protect yourself from these scams, here are a few questions you should ask yourself when viewing obituary pages.
Do you have a connection with the person who passed away? If you don't feel connected in some way to the person viewing your obituary page, don't click on it. And if you know that person, click on the original link shared on social media by a good contact. Don't search on Google because the first option you see may be fake.
Recognize fake websites. Some fake obituary websites include Nextdoorfuneralhomes.com, Memorialinfoblog.com, Obituaryway.com, and Funeralinfotime.com. But keep in mind that some scammers are also using regular sites.
Check to see if the person actually passed away. This may seem obvious, but some of these scammers are writing obituaries for people who haven't actually died.
Look for suspicious pages. Key signs of a fake obituary include overly descriptive language and a cold tone. Many scammers use AI to write obituaries as quickly as possible, usually without taking the time to review them to make them sound more human. After all, they are rushing to get you right after the person dies.
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![obit scam 4](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2024/04/1200/675/4-How-scammers-have-sunk-to-a-new-low-with-an-AI-obituary-scam-targeting-the-grieving.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Woman in reflection. (Kurt “Cyberguy” Knutsson)
Read more: Scammers are using fake news and malicious links to lure you into emotional Facebook phishing traps
Kurt’s Key Takeaways
Many scammers prey on emotionally vulnerable people and force them to do their bidding. This obituary scam is next level, but not much different from using someone during a phone scam to send the victim urgent money or provide information. So when in doubt, always be smart. Take a moment before clicking a link, opening a file, or answering a phone call.
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