The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand is warning New Zealanders about a new funeral live streaming scam that asks for money to view a funeral live stream.

Chief Executive, Gillian Boyes, says scammers create fake Facebook pages then send friend requests to families and friends of the deceased with links to the scam sites. Users are asked for personal details including a credit card number to watch the live stream.

“Sadly, New Zealanders saw this scam with the recent high-profile funeral of Fa’anānā Efeso Collins, but our members are also starting to see it with everyday families as well,” says Ms Boyes.

“It is sickening. We know many New Zealanders these days rely on these services when they can’t attend a funeral in person and for someone to take advantage of people in a time of grief is just really low.”

Ms Boyes explains that legitimate live streaming links are provided direct from the funeral home to the family and the costs associated with running the service are paid for by the family as part of the funeral bill.

“We are not aware of any legitimate live stream service that asks for money to view,” she says.

The Funeral Directors Association says people should be on the look out for the following warning signs:

• Facebook or other social media friend requests from people you don’t know.
• A request to enter personal and credit card details in order to access a live stream. This is not required for legitimate live streams.
• Pressure to act quickly to view. Typically, live stream recordings remain available for viewing for up to a year.

They also warn that if you are not sure about a live stream link you should check with close family or view the link directly from the funeral home website.

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