How to Report a Deceased Family Members Facebook Page Has Been Hacked
***Story updated at 3:25 pm on eleven-30-18 with news that Facebook has restored & memorialized Steve McDougall's account***
It's quite a surprise to become a message from someone you beloved who has passed away.
But that surprise may turn to cloy when you notice out it's really a scammer — and they've taken over your loved one's business relationship to get your money.
Watch hither:
Messages from the Past
Linda Lyness of Vancouver, Washington, passed away in 2016.
Her friends and family keep her memory alive with loving messages on Facebook.
But over Blackness Fri weekend, her business relationship came back to life with posts well-nigh deep discounts on Ray-Ban sunglasses.
Someone had taken over, not only posting pictures of a apocryphal Ray-Ban website, but also tagging her friends to spread the scam even farther.
Scammers posted ads for fake Ray-Ban sunglasses on the business relationship of Linda Lyness, who passed abroad in 2016. Epitome: Facebook
This kind of trickery tin can exist jolting — a roughshod joke to family unit and friends still missing the 1 who passed.
"Happened to my late blood brother'south business relationship a few weeks ago," wrote Pat McDougall on Facebook. "Jarring and enraging and painful."
Surprise Message
McDougall'southward brother Steve died in 2014.
Non long ago, McDougall, who lives in Portland, Oregon, received an e-mail service from Facebook proverb, "Steve McDougall tagged you in a photo."
"This was pretty jarring and agonizing, even four years afterward his passing," he told Archer News.
The family did not have Steve's account password, and soon, his account disappeared entirely.
"Information technology was definitely upsetting for me and my surviving siblings, and it's pretty infuriating that information technology happened thank you to some lowlife spammer," McDougall said.
Pat McDougall (left) & his tardily brother Steve (right). Image courtesy: Pat McDougall
Who'south Behind Information technology?
Some people blame the real Ray-Ban company.
"How virtually stop hacking everyone's profile for your sh—y glasses?" wrote Jax on the existent company'southward Facebook page.
But security researchers say information technology is scammers at work.
The troublemakers caused problems in the Czechia and other countries a few years back.
Security company ESET investigated and found that the shady sites try to lure you lot into using your credit card, but use terrible security, so your menu number tin be stolen quickly and easily.
You may stop upwardly with fake charges on your account and no sunglasses at all, co-ordinate to researchers.
ESET investigated imitation Ray-Ban ads plaguing Facebook in 2016. Image: ESET
Tracking Down Victims
Archer News contacted Lyness' family unit to alarm them to the hack and provide information on how to solve the problem.
We also tracked down another victim who is very much alive.
Colleen Miles of McMinnville, Oregon, set up two Facebook pages, 1 under her married name, and another under her maiden proper noun, Collie Stull, so friends from the by could notice her.
She rarely uses her 2nd page, but noticed something unusual over the holiday weekend.
"I saw some advert thing," she told Archer News. "I couldn't fifty-fifty wait it considering I had company. I've but been and then busy."
That advert thing was the hack, we told her.
The scammers posted imitation Ray-Ban ads on her profile twice, tagging more than 40 friends each time.
"Oh, my gosh!" she said. "How creepy. That is awful."
Colleen Miles lost admission to her "Collie Stull" Facebook account when Ray-Ban scammers took over. Prototype: Facebook
"This Makes Me Mad!"
She tried to log in and delete the posts, but could not.
"They must accept taken it over. I can't fifty-fifty delete these pictures. I don't have any control of it," she said. "Oh, man, this makes me mad!"
We helped her study the hack to Facebook and become command over the business relationship once more.
She also warned her friends on Facebook about the hack.
"I'one thousand then glad you told me," she said.
Scammers posted fake Ray-Ban ads on Colleen Miles' Facebook account. Image: Facebook
How They Hack You
Some scammers can get into your account or your friends' accounts by guessing your password.
If you lot use the same password for several accounts, you're at higher risk.
Attackers tin can have your password from a data breach and try it on all of your accounts until they get in.
"Account takeovers are very oftentimes due to weak or reused passwords on accounts and whether you're live or dead, the human propensity to have set them upwardly predictable credentials poses a risk," security good Troy Hunt told Archer News.
Come up up with longer, stronger passwords and store them in a password manager or write them down.
And don't utilize the same password twice.
The Ray-Ban scammers also sent out ads in March 2018. Prototype: Facebook
Tricking Yous Out of Your Password
Security researcher Lukas Stefanko of ESET says scammers can likewise use malware or send you phishing letters — like false countersign reset due east-mails that expect like they're from Facebook — to get your password.
If y'all friend one of their fake Facebook accounts, they may ship y'all a malicious file or link in Facebook messenger, he said.
"(The) potential victim needs to open the file or click the link, so the malicious activeness can be performed," he explained. "Most of the time, (the) attacker uses social engineering techniques to persuade victim into clicking."
Once the scammer is in, they can modify your password and take over your business relationship.
When they take over the accounts of people who have passed on, they oft go more than time to spread their spam posts.
There may be no i in accuse of the account, or family unit and friends may not know how to access it.
Some Facebook users reported a Ray-Ban ad hack in 2016. Image: Facebook
What to Practice
If scammers striking the account of a loved i who has died, y'all can take action.
You tin contact Facebook through this link and click on the question "How do I inquire a question about a deceased person's business relationship on Facebook?"
Y'all can then make a special request for the account.
Facebook can memorialize the business relationship and offer extra protections, according to the social media platform.
The account will then say "remembering" in front end of the person'southward name.
Friends & family unit can memorialize an business relationship after your death, similar this account for NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick. Image: Facebook
If you are able to add a new password to the account, make information technology a good i, said Hunt.
"For friends and family of the deceased, gaining admission to the business relationship is the offset step — platform providers are used to dealing with requests of this nature — followed by putting a strong, unique password on the business relationship," Hunt said.
"It'south probably not one they'll be logging into oft, and then use something like a pass phrase and write it downwardly somewhere condom," he added.
You can as well program ahead for your own futurity online.
Facebook allows y'all to choose a Legacy Contact to manage your account after your death, and y'all can have your account deleted ormemorialized.
Help for the Living
If y'all think your account or a friend's business relationship has been hacked, you tin can report it to Facebook.
If you don't want to spread the scam, watch out for phishing due east-mails and messages, and take intendance when it comes to how you connect with your Facebook business relationship.
"They should exist careful what Facebook app they connect with their Facebook contour and what permissions does it use," advised Stefanko.
For example, can the app post on your account without your permission?
If and so, you're opening up a possible security hole.
"This also applies to browser extensions that could play a joke on user in to installing them and gaining access to social media profiles," added Stefanko.
You can also change your business relationship then that you tin can review tags earlier they go on your timeline.
"They should properly fix their Facebook privacy settings such as 'don't allow to exist tagged in mail service or photo without manual verification.' This way, (the) risk of spreading this scam amongst user friends is lower," he explained.
You lot tin can cull to review posts you're tagged in before they appear on your timeline by going to Timeline and Tagging settings.
Fighting the Scam
Stull was finally able to delete her hacked profile.
Archer News is helping the Lyness and McDougall families become admission to their accounts.
***UPDATE at 3:25 pm on 11-xxx-18***
Facebook has restored Steve McDougall's account and deleted the Ray-Ban scam posts. His account is now memorialized.
Meanwhile, Ray-Ban says it'due south trying to keep the scammers at bay.
"Third parties are using the trademarked Ray-Ban logo and images to promote apocryphal products online," the company wrote to an unhappy sister whose deceased blood brother'south account posted fake Ray-Ban ads. "Nosotros are working aggressively with all relevant authorities to put a stop to this activeness."
The real Ray-Ban company says it is trying to stop the fake Ray-Ban ad scammers. Epitome: StockSnap
Feeding the Scammers
The Ray-Ban scam has been popping up on Facebook for years — and is withal going, about likely considering it works.
"Information technology'due south actually difficult for me to believe that anyone has ever purchased a pair of sunglasses subsequently seeing that low-quality, encephalon-dead Ray-Bans prototype," McDougall said.
But people practice, even if they know the sunglasses are fakes, even when the shady sellers accuse a shipping price that is twice every bit much every bit the glasses themselves.
They feed the scammers money, and encourage more scams similar these.
Unfortunately, this holiday season, you may get a message from a loved one who has passed — an unpleasant reminder that scammers practise not respect the living or the dead.
"I had to look at your proper noun twice, Michelle. I'm then deplorable now. For a separate 2d, I idea you were yet here," wrote Annie on her late friend'due south account afterwards Ray-Ban scammers hacked it in September. "This sucks."
Scammers have posted fake Ray-Ban ads on the late Michelle Filipo's business relationship since September 8. Paradigm: Facebook
Facebook Help
"Nosotros piece of work to educate our community through reporting flows and the Help Center," a spokesperson said to Archer News by e-mail. "To keep their Facebook accounts and Pages secure, we encourage people to non accept suspicious requests and to report suspicious messages using the like shooting fish in a barrel-to-find links beyond our service."
—If you meet a post or message that tries to trick y'all into sharing personal information similar your countersign, yous can report it. Here'southward how.
—If your account is sending spam, you can reset your countersign.
—If someone is repeatedly posting something you think is spam, consider unfriending, blocking, or reporting that person.
—If you recall someone posting spam has had their business relationship hacked, advise them to visit facebook.com/hacked to see how to set it.
—More security-related advice and tools available on Facebook's Privacy Basics site
—More than information on phishing in Facebook's Help Center
Primary image: Bending sculpture. Image credit: Cocoparisienne
Source: https://archerint.com/scammers-take-over-accounts-of-your-friends-who-have-passed-away/
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