GRANT COUNTY, Wash. — The Grant County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) has issued a warning regarding a Facebook scam that uses fake death notices to trick social media users into clicking harmful links.
They say the fraudulent posts are designed to appear as authentic news reports, often featuring photos of police vehicles and yellow crime scene tape. Scammers typically tag multiple individuals in posts claiming that a mutual friend died in an accident.
The GCSO says when users click the provided links, they may be directed to a fake Facebook login page engineered to steal passwords. In other instances, the links download malicious software capable of infecting phones or computers. Once scammers gain control of an account, they use it to share the fake notice with the victim’s entire friend list, allowing the scam to proliferate.
Law enforcement recommends that users avoid clicking links in any suspicious posts. Anyone who has entered account details on a fraudulent login page should change their password immediately, as well as on any other accounts that share the same login credentials.
The sheriff’s office also advised individuals who downloaded files or applications from these posts to run a scan on their devices using trusted security software.
Social media users who encounter these posts should report them directly to Facebook and notify their friends through alternative communication channels if their accounts appear to have been compromised.
The GCSO urges people to remain vigilant against online fraudsters. “Remember that you’re dealing with a professional who victimizes people for a living,” the sheriff’s office said.