保護或紀念死者的社群媒體，防止喪親詐騙¶

當家庭成員或親密朋友去世時，他們活躍的社交媒體資料、電子郵件收件匣和雲端儲存帳戶立即成為有組織的網路犯罪分子的目標。詐騙者會在死者死亡後數小時內抓取公共訃告和悼念帖子，推出欺詐性葬禮直播鏈接、重複的 GoFundMe 活動以及利用悲傷的親朋好友進行帳戶接管。了解如何鎖定已故親人的數位存在、即時阻止葬禮詐騙者以及提交官方紀念或永久刪除請求，可以保護您親人的遺產及其悲傷的社區。

現在就這樣做¶

1. **請勿使用已故者的密碼登入來刪除帳號。 ** 根據許多司法管轄區的電腦犯罪和資料隱私法（包括美國的電腦詐欺和濫用法以及英國的電腦濫用法），未經明確的法律授權登入他人的帳戶可能會違反平台服務條款並觸發自動安全鎖定，從而在您下載家庭照片之前凍結個人資料。
2. **保留死者智慧型手機和 SIM 卡的實際存取權。 ** 保持死者的手機電量充足，不要立即取消其手機服務。如果您停用他們的電話號碼，行動電信商會在 30 到 90 天內回收並重新分配該號碼，從而使陌生人或身分竊賊能夠攔截簡訊雙重認證 (2FA) 代碼並劫持帳戶。
3. 在您自己的社群媒體個人資料上立即發布喪親詐騙警告。 ** 標記直系親屬並告知朋友追悼會的確切日期、時間和實際地點。明確說明該家庭絕不會**收取費用或要求信用卡驗證才能觀看葬禮直播，並在存在合法眾籌活動的情況下列出單個經過驗證的鏈接。
4. Assign a trusted family friend to monitor tribute comments as a "digital usher." Scammers post fake livestream links and counterfeit fundraising pages in the comment sections of death announcements within minutes of publication. Having a designated friend hide, report, and block spam comments spares grieving next of kin from facing fraudsters on the day of the funeral.
5. 收集社交媒体平台所需的官方文件。 找到官方死亡證明（或驗屍官證書、訃告連結或臨時紀念計劃）的高解析度掃描件或照片，以及您作為近親或遺產執行人的授權證明（例如出生證明、結婚證書、授權書或遺囑信函）。
6. **直接向每个平台提交官方纪念或帐户删除请求。 ** 與您的家人一起決定是否要將個人資料轉換為永久紀念貢品（其中“紀念”一詞出現在他們的名字旁邊，沒有人可以登錄）或從互聯網上永久刪除，然後通過每個平台的專用喪親門戶提交經過驗證的請求。

flowchart TD
    Start["Death of a Loved One"] --> DeviceCheck["Secure Physical Phone and Keep SIM Active"]
    DeviceCheck --> ScamGuard["Post Public Warning Against Fake Funeral Livestreams and Crowdfunding"]
    ScamGuard --> Decision{"Family Decision: Memorialize or Delete?"}
    Decision -->|Preserve Profile and Photos as Tribute| MemCheck{"Does Platform Support Memorialization?"}
    MemCheck -->|Yes: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Apple| SubmitMem["Submit Obituary or Death Certificate via Memorialization Form"]
    MemCheck -->|No: X, TikTok, Snapchat, Pinterest| SubmitDeact["Download Public Media and Submit Verified Deactivation Request"]
    Decision -->|Permanently Remove Account| DocGather["Gather Certified Death Certificate + Proof of Legal Authority"]
    DocGather --> SubmitDel["Submit Official Bereavement Deletion Form to Platform"]
    SubmitMem --> LockCheck["Profile Locked: 'Remembering' Badge Added and Login Disabled"]
    SubmitDeact --> GoneCheck["Account Permanently Closed and Removed from Search"]
    SubmitDel --> GoneCheck

Understanding the post-mortem threat: how bereavement scammers operate¶

Cybercriminals use automated web scrapers to monitor online newspaper obituaries, funeral home websites, and public social media hashtags such as #RIP, #GoneTooSoon, #CelebrationOfLife, 和 #FuneralService. Within hours of a family posting a tribute or announcement, criminal syndicates launch four distinct attacks targeting the deceased person's social graph.

1. The fake funeral livestream credit card scam¶

This is one of the fastest-growing bereavement scams reported to the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the United Kingdom's Action Fraud, and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). - How the attack works: Scammers create a Facebook Page, Instagram profile, or Event page using the deceased person's stolen profile photograph and full name, followed by words like "Memorial Service Live Stream" or "Funeral Broadcast HD." - The ambush: Automated bot accounts reply to every grieving comment on the family's real announcement post, pasting a link to an external website or fake Facebook group claiming to broadcast the funeral live for friends and relatives who cannot attend in person. - The theft: When a mourner clicks the link during the actual hour of the funeral, the webpage displays a fake video player that asks the viewer to "Register for Free" or "Verify Your Identity with a Credit Card ($0.00 or $1.00 charge) to Watch the Broadcast." Victims who enter their card numbers have their accounts drained immediately or enrolled in recurring offshore subscription charges, while no livestream ever plays.

2. Cloned crowdfunding and fake memorial fund fraud¶

When a sudden death occurs, especially involving a young person, an accident, or a parent with young children, friends naturally look for ways to contribute to funeral expenses or a family support fund. - How the attack works: Fraudsters copy the exact text and family photographs from a legitimate obituary or real crowdfunding page and launch counterfeit campaigns on GoFundMe, Spotfund, PayPal Pools, or Venmo/CashApp handles using a nearly identical name. - The ambush: The scammers direct-message the deceased person's contacts list or reply to tribute posts asking for urgent donations to "cover remaining burial plot costs before Friday." - The defense: If the family creates an official memorial fund or charity donation link, every family member should share the exact same URL and state explicitly: "This is our family's only authorized memorial fund. Do not send money to any other link, CashApp tag, or direct message request."

3. Dormant account takeover ("ghost hijacking")¶

An unmonitored social media profile is an ideal target for account takeover because the rightful owner will never notice suspicious login alerts or password reset emails. - How the attack works: Attackers check leaked credential databases from historic data breaches to see if the deceased person reused a password across their email or social media accounts. Alternatively, if the family cancels the deceased person's mobile phone plan, the attacker waits until the phone number is reassigned or ports it to intercept SMS recovery codes. - The ambush: Once inside the deceased person's Facebook, Instagram, or X account, the scammer either quietly messages close friends asking for emergency loans or suddenly changes the profile picture and uses the trusted, years-old account to peddle cryptocurrency scams, fake event tickets, or malicious links. Seeing messages arrive from a recently deceased friend's profile causes severe emotional trauma to surviving loved ones.

4. Post-mortem identity theft ("ghosting")¶

Beyond social media, identity thieves harvest three key data points from well-meaning tribute posts and public profiles: the deceased person's full legal name (including middle name and maiden name), exact date of birth, and city of birth or residence. Combined with funeral home notices that list surviving parents' and spouses' names, criminals have enough personal identifiable information (PII) to apply for fraudulent credit cards, tax refunds, or government benefits before credit bureaus and government registries process the death certificate.

Memorialization vs. permanent deletion: deciding what is right for your family¶

Before submitting official forms to social networks, gather key family members and the estate executor to decide whether each account should be memorialized or permanently deleted. Once an account is permanently deleted, its photographs, videos, voice messages, and comment threads cannot be recovered after a brief grace period.

Platform-by-platform bereavement procedures: how to memorialize or close accounts¶

Major technology companies maintain specialized bereavement teams to process requests from surviving relatives. Never rely on general customer service chat bots; use the exact legacy and memorialization workflows detailed below.

1. Facebook (Meta)¶

Facebook offers the most comprehensive set of post-mortem options, distinguishing between Memorialization (managed by a Legacy Contact if one was chosen before death) and Permanent Removal for a Deceased Person.

How Facebook Memorialization and Legacy Contacts work¶

• Once Facebook processes a memorialization request, the word Remembering appears above the deceased person's name.
• Nobody can log into the main account, even if they know the password.
• If the deceased person designated a Legacy Contact inside their Meta Accounts Center before passing away, that Legacy Contact can:
• Write a pinned tribute post at the top of the memorialized profile (for example, to share funeral service details or a verified charity link).
• Update the profile picture and cover photo.
• Respond to new friend requests from old acquaintances who are searching for the profile.
• Download an archive of the deceased person's public posts, photos, and profile information (if the deceased checked the box permitting data download).
• Request the permanent removal of the account.
• What a Legacy Contact CANNOT do: A Legacy Contact cannot log into the original account, cannot read private Facebook Messenger messages, cannot alter or delete past posts made by the deceased, and cannot remove existing friends.

Step-by-step submission for Facebook¶

1. To Memorialize a Facebook Account: Locate the Facebook Help Center form titled "Memorialization Request" (facebook.com/help/contact/651319028315841). Enter the deceased person's profile name, the date they passed away, and upload a scan or link to an official obituary, death certificate, or funeral program.
2. To Permanently Remove a Deceased Person's Facebook Account: Locate the Facebook Help Center form titled "Special Request for Medically Incapacitated or Deceased Person's Account" (facebook.com/help/contact/228813257197480). You must upload:
3. Proof that you are an immediate family member or legal executor (birth certificate, marriage certificate, power of attorney, or last will and testament).
4. The deceased person's official death certificate (or obituary/memorial card combined with proof of authority).
5. Stopping AI-generated memories and birthday reminders immediately: Memorializing the account automatically stops Facebook from sending "Wish [Name] a Happy Birthday" notifications to their friends list.

2. Instagram (Meta)¶

Instagram supports account memorialization and verified removal for immediate family members, though it does not currently allow a Legacy Contact to manage or add new posts to a memorialized Instagram grid.

How Instagram Memorialization works¶

• The word Remembering is placed next to the deceased person's name on their Instagram profile.
• All login access is permanently disabled, protecting the account from hackers and impersonators.
• Existing posts, Reels, and profile photos remain visible to the audience they were shared with, and the account's privacy setting (Public or Private) is locked in place permanently.
• Memorialized Instagram accounts do not appear in the Explore tab or account suggestions.

Step-by-step submission for Instagram¶

1. To Memorialize an Instagram Account: Submit the official form at "Request to Memorialize an Instagram Account" (help.instagram.com/contact/452224988254813). Provide the person's full name, Instagram handle (@username), date of death, and a link to an online obituary, news article, or a photograph of the death certificate.
2. To Remove a Deceased Person's Instagram Account: Submit the official form at "Request to Remove a Deceased Person's Account on Instagram" (help.instagram.com/contact/1474899482730688). You must provide:
3. The deceased person's birth certificate or official death certificate.
4. Proof under local law that you are an immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, child) or the authorized representative of their estate.

3. X (formerly Twitter)¶

X does not offer a memorialization feature and will never grant login access to an account regardless of your relationship to the deceased. Instead, X allows verified immediate family members or estate executors to request the permanent deactivation and removal of a deceased user's profile.

Step-by-step submission for X¶

1. Before requesting deactivation, manually save any public posts, photographs, or video threads from the profile that your family wishes to keep, because deactivation permanently deletes them.
2. Go to the X Help Center Privacy Form (help.x.com/forms/privacy) and select "I want to request the deactivation of a deceased or incapacitated user's account."
3. Provide the @username of the deceased person and your contact information.
4. Once you submit the initial form, X's Trust and Safety team will email you instructions to upload three mandatory documents:
5. A copy of the deceased person's official death certificate.
6. A copy of your government-issued photo ID (such as a driver's license or passport).
7. A signed statement including your first and last name, email address, current contact information, your relationship to the deceased user, and the requested action ("Please deactivate this account").

4. LinkedIn¶

Because LinkedIn profiles appear high in search engine results and receive automated connection requests, job recruitment messages, and "Congratulate [Name] on their work anniversary" notifications, leaving a deceased professional's profile active can cause painful confusion for colleagues and family. LinkedIn offers both Memorialization and Account Closure.

Step-by-step submission for LinkedIn¶

1. Gather the following five pieces of information before opening the form:
2. The member's full name and the exact URL of their LinkedIn profile (linkedin.com/in/...）。
3. Your relationship to the deceased member.
4. The member's email address (if known), date they passed away, and the name of the last company they worked for.
5. A link to an official obituary or a PDF scan of the death certificate.
6. Legal documentation showing you are authorized to act on behalf of the deceased (if you want to close the account permanently rather than memorialize it).
7. If you have legal authority to act on behalf of the estate: Submit the LinkedIn Help form "Memorialize or close the account of a deceased member" (linkedin.com/help/linkedin/ask/ts-rdmlp). You can choose either Memorialize (which places an "In remembrance" badge under their headline, locks login access, and stops all work anniversary/birthday prompts) or Close Account (which permanently hides and deletes the profile).
8. If you are a colleague, friend, or classmate without legal estate documents: Submit the LinkedIn Help form "Report a deceased LinkedIn member" (linkedin.com/help/linkedin/ask/ts-rmdmlp) with a link to a public obituary. LinkedIn will hide the profile from public search and stop notifications while protecting the account until family members reach out.

5. TikTok, YouTube (Google), Apple, and Snapchat¶

Legal rules on logging into a deceased person's accounts¶

When a loved one dies and leaves a notebook of passwords on their desk, the instinct of most surviving spouses, parents, or children is to log directly into their email and social media accounts. While understandable, doing so carries three practical and legal risks that you should weigh carefully.

1. Automated fraud lockouts and account freezes¶

Modern social media platforms and email providers use behavioral security algorithms. If you log into the deceased person's account from a different house, a new computer, or a new Wi-Fi network and immediately start downloading archives, changing email addresses, or unlinking payment cards, the platform's automated defense system flags the session as a hostile account takeover. The platform will immediately lock the account and demand a live biometric video selfie or security key verification that can no longer be completed.

2. Destruction of estate or legal evidence¶

If the person died as a result of a motor vehicle crash, workplace accident, medical malpractice, or suspected crime, or if there is any potential dispute over their will or estate, logging into their accounts alters digital metadata ("last login" timestamps and read receipts). Defense attorneys or probate courts can challenge the authenticity of messages or financial records if someone logged in after the time of death.

3. Statutory fiduciary access laws (RUFADAA and global equivalents)¶

• In the United States: Nearly all 50 states have enacted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA). Under RUFADAA, a three-tier legal hierarchy governs who can access a deceased person's digital accounts:
• Tier 1 (Online Tools): Instructions the user set directly inside a platform's official legacy tool (such as Facebook's Legacy Contact, Google's Inactive Account Manager, or Apple's Digital Legacy Contact) legally override conflicting instructions in a paper will.
• Tier 2 (Will, Trust, or Power of Attorney): If the user did not use an online tool, explicit authorization written in their Last Will and Testament or Living Trust governs whether the executor can access the content of their electronic communications.
• Tier 3 (Terms of Service): If neither an online tool nor a will mentions digital assets, the platform's Terms of Service govern, which usually grant the executor a "catalog" of communications (who emailed whom and when) or account closure, but not the private content of messages without a court order.
• In the United Kingdom, Canada, European Union, and Australia: Data protection laws (such as the UK/EU General Data Protection Regulation, which generally ceases to apply to deceased individuals in the UK and most EU member states except where national laws specify posthumous rights, such as France's Loi pour une République numérique or Italy's Privacy Code) interact with national probate and computer misuse statutes. Estate executors who holds formal Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration should always use the platform's official fiduciary request channels rather than covertly guessing passwords.

Copy-and-paste scripts to protect your family from bereavement scams¶

Use these ready-to-share templates on the day a death occurs so grieving relatives do not have to draft security warnings from scratch.

Script 1: Public bereavement scam warning (to include at the bottom of your funeral announcement post)¶

Important security note for friends and family: Scammers routinely create fake profiles and post fraudulent livestream links on funeral announcements. Please know that our family will never ask you to enter a credit card number, pay a fee, or register on an external website to view [Name]'s memorial service. If anyone sends you a friend request pretending to be [Name] or posts a comment with a livestream or donation link that does not come directly from [Name of Verified Family Member / Official Funeral Home Website], please do not click it. Report and block the profile immediately.

Script 2: Instructions for your designated "digital usher" (family friend moderating comments)¶

"Thank you for helping our family guard [Name]'s tribute posts this week. Could you please check the comments on our announcement posts every couple of hours, especially on the morning of the service? If you see any comment from an unknown account saying 'Watch the funeral live here' or pasting a link to a site or Telegram/Facebook group, please take a screenshot, click Hide comment or Delete comment immediately, and report the commenter for scam/impersonation."

Script 3: Formal letter to request closure of smaller online accounts without bereavement webforms¶

Subject: Formal Notification of Death and Account Closure Request: [Full Legal Name of Deceased]

To the Privacy, Trust & Safety, and Bereavement Team,

I am writing as the [surviving spouse / parent / adult child / court-appointed executor of the estate] of [Full Legal Name of Deceased], who passed away on [Date of Death].

Please accept this formal request to permanently close their user account associated with the username/handle [Username/URL] and the email address [Deceased's Email Address], and to cancel any recurring subscriptions associated with this profile.

Attached to this message are: 1. A copy of the official Certificate of Death (with sensitive national identification numbers redacted). 2. Documentation verifying my legal relationship and authority to act on behalf of the deceased ([Marriage Certificate / Birth Certificate / Letters Testamentary]).

誠摯的， [Your Full Name] [Your Relationship to the Deceased] [Your Phone Number and Mailing Address]

Complete post-mortem digital security checklist¶

Work through this checklist over the first 14 to 30 days after a loved one's passing:

• Secure physical devices: Place the deceased person's smartphone, tablet, laptop, and any hardware security keys in a locked drawer or safe inside the executor's home.
• Check for a digital legacy binder or password manager emergency kit: Look in their home safe or filing cabinet for a printed 1Password Emergency Kit, Bitwarden recovery sheet, Apple Legacy Contact Access Key, or written list of recurring bills.
• Keep the primary email inbox and mobile SIM card active during probate: Do not close their Gmail, Outlook, or iCloud email or cancel their cell phone number until all bank accounts, tax filings, utility accounts, and social media closures are finalized (typically 6 to 12 months). You can downgrade the mobile plan to the lowest voice/text tier to save money while keeping the phone number under family control.
• Audit bank and credit card statements for recurring digital subscriptions: Check the last 3 months of bank and credit card statements (plus Apple App Store, Google Play Store, and PayPal recurring billing) to identify and cancel streaming services, cloud storage, Patreon memberships, and software subscriptions.
• Notify the major credit bureaus to place a "Deceased Alert" and credit freeze: In the United States, send a certified copy of the death certificate to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion requesting an immediate "Deceased, Do Not Issue Credit" flag on their credit file. In the United Kingdom, use the Death Notification Service (deathnotificationservice.co.uk) and notify Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion UK. In Canada, notify Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada.
• Memorialize or close major social media accounts: Submit verified forms for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat after saving public family photos.
• Pre-plan your own accounts today: Open your settings on Facebook/Instagram (Accounts Center > Personal Details > Account Ownership and Control > Memorialization), Apple (Settings > [Your Name] > Sign-In & Security > Legacy Contact), and Google (myaccount.google.com/inactive) to designate a trusted Legacy Contact.

常見問題¶

來源已檢查¶

• Federal Trade Commission (FTC, United States): Consumer Advice on Scammers Targeting Grieving Families, Fake Funeral Livestreams, and Closing Accounts After a Death.
• Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram Help Centers): Memorialized Accounts, Legacy Contact Permissions, and Requesting Account Removal for a Deceased Person.
• Google Account Help (International): Inactive Account Manager and Submitting a Request Regarding a Deceased User's Account.
• Apple Support (International): How to Add a Legacy Contact for Your Apple ID and Request Access to a Deceased Family Member's Apple Account.
• LinkedIn Help and X Help Center: Memorializing or Closing the Account of a Deceased LinkedIn Member and Deactivating a Deceased User's X Account.
• Uniform Law Commission (United States): Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA) Summary and Fiduciary Hierarchy.
• National Cyber Security Centre and Action Fraud (NCSC, United Kingdom): Bereavement Impersonation Fraud and Protecting Digital Identities After Death.

相關指南¶

• Social media account takeover and hacking
• Social media phishing and impersonation scams
• 網路騷擾、人肉搜尋和網路霸凌
• Reporting illegal and harmful content
• 家庭緊急應變計畫
• 緊急電話號碼