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Scam alert

Facebook Post Says a Friend Died? Don't Click the Link

Posted

Washington · kiro7.com · Arrives by a Facebook post or tag

The short answer

A Facebook post about the death of a friend, with photos of police vehicles or crime scene tape and a link to click, is the sign to stop. In late October 2026, the Grant County Sheriff's Office in Washington warned that these fake death notices lead to a fake login page that steals your password, or to harmful software for your phone or computer. Don't click. Check with the person or their family by phone or another app. If you already entered your password, change it now.

What is happening

In late October 2026, the Grant County Sheriff's Office in Washington warned about fake social media posts that announce the death of a friend or relative and are made to look like news reports, with photos of police vehicles and yellow crime scene tape. KIRO 7 and KPQ reported that the link in the post can lead to a fake Facebook login page that steals your password, or can put harmful software on your phone or computer. Once scammers control an account, they share the fake notice with that person's friends, which helps it spread.

How to recognize it

  • A post says a friend or relative has died and asks you to click a link to read more.
  • The post looks like a news report, with photos of police vehicles, emergency vehicles or crime scene tape.
  • The link opens what looks like a Facebook login page and asks for your password.
  • The link asks you to download a file or app before you can see the story.
  • The post was shared by a friend's account, which may have been taken over by scammers.

What to do instead

  1. Don't click links in a death or accident post that seems at all suspicious.
  2. Check with the person or their family by phone or another app, not through the post.
  3. Report the post to Facebook.
  4. If a friend's account shared it, let them know another way that their account may have been hacked.
  5. If you want to tell someone, the rule is: check a death post with the family, never through the link.

If it already happened

Responding to one of these is common and understandable. These steps are what people usually take next.

  1. If you typed your password into the page, change it right away, along with any other account that uses the same password.
  2. If you downloaded a file or app from the post, scan your phone or computer with trusted security software.
  3. Tell your friends another way that your account may have been taken over, so they don't click anything it shares.
  4. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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Common questions

The post came from a friend's account. Doesn't that make it real?
No. The sheriff's office said that once scammers take over an account, they use it to share the fake notice with that person's friends. A post from someone you know can still be a trap.
Why do these posts work so well?
They play on worry about someone you care about, and they are built to look like real news. The sheriff's office reminded people that "you're dealing with a professional who victimizes people for a living." Clicking out of concern is not a failing.

Practice this safely

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Facebook Post Says a Friend Died? Don't Click the Link

A Facebook post about the death of a friend, with photos of police vehicles or crime scene tape and a link to click, is the sign to stop. In late October 2026, the Grant County Sheriff's Office in Washington warned that these fake death notices lead to a fake login page that steals your password, or to harmful software for your phone or computer. Don't click. Check with the person or their family by phone or another app. If you already entered your password, change it now.

Read the full alert: https://endscamsproject.com/latest-scams/facebook-fake-death-notice-phishing

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