Scams After a Death in the UK: Fake Funeral Livestreams, Bogus Donation Pages and Debt Claims Against Bereaved Families

Criminals sometimes use a death as an opening. The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI), the professional body for trading standards officers, has warned about fraudsters who scan public funeral notices, and Barclays lists further tactics aimed at the recently bereaved. This guide summarises those warnings, then sets out what Citizens Advice and GOV.UK say about how the genuine process works, so that a suspicious approach can be recognised. It is general information, not legal advice. The estate and debt guidance below applies to England; Citizens Advice publishes separate advice for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Fake funeral livestreams and donation pages

In a 2024 warning and again in June 2025, CTSI described criminals who find funeral notices online and create fake Facebook profiles posing as family members or friends of the person who has died. They then contact mourners with links to a livestream of the funeral for a fee, or set up fake opportunities to donate. CTSI said in 2025 that victims often hand over personal information or fall prey to authorised push payment (APP) fraud afterwards, and that online funerals became common during the Covid-19 pandemic and remain popular for those who cannot attend in person, which is why they remain a target.

CTSI’s Lead Officer for Doorstep Crime said many victims feel they cannot report what has happened for fear of adding stress to grieving families, and that this silence is what the criminals rely on. CTSI’s advice is:

A funeral is a public event and nobody should be charged to attend, in person or by livestream.
Do not trust donation links found online. Check the official funeral director’s post or contact them directly, and donate only through official, verified sources.
Never share personal or banking details in response to unsolicited messages.
Be cautious of friend requests or messages from unfamiliar profiles, even if they appear to have mutual friends.
If bank details have been shared, contact the bank immediately.

False debt, insurance and identity claims

Barclays says scammers sometimes use a death as a chance to trick people into sending money, and describes three patterns:

Fake debts. A scammer may claim that the person who died owed them money, saying they were a friend or colleague or pretending to be from a government agency or debt collection firm.
Insurance scams. A scammer may pose as a life insurance agent, say a relative had a policy and demand a fee before paying out. Once paid, they disappear.
Impersonation fraud. A scammer may use a recently deceased person’s name, address or bank information to open accounts or take out loans.

Its protective advice is not to let anyone pressure a person into repaying debt in someone else’s name, to call a company back using a number from its official website, to treat an upfront fee for an insurance payout as likely to be a scam, and to think carefully about how a death is announced, since a date of birth, address, middle name or maiden name can help a fraudster steal an identity.

How debts are dealt with after a death in England

Knowing the genuine process helps in judging a demand. Citizens Advice says the executor or administrator, also called the personal representative, takes responsibility for the estate, which includes finding out what is owed by the person who died and paying debts, expenses and fees. GOV.UK says the personal representative must pay any debts and settle taxes, and should place a notice in The Gazette giving creditors two months to claim what they are owed before the estate’s assets are distributed.

Citizens Advice says that, in general, if the estate cannot cover the debts, creditors cannot recover the shortfall from anyone else, including surviving relatives. It also identifies exceptions: a joint debt, such as an overdraft on a joint account or a credit agreement in joint names, can still be recovered from the surviving person, and someone who lived with the person who died may still be liable for debts relating to the property, such as council tax or water bills. A demand for payment that does not fit this picture is a reason to pause and take independent advice rather than pay.

What the genuine channels look like

GOV.UK explains that in England, Scotland and Wales a registrar explains Tell Us Once when the death is registered and either completes it with the family or provides a reference number for using the service online or by phone. The service reports the death to government bodies such as HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, the DVLA and the local council. The guidance also says that other organisations, such as banks and utility companies, must be told separately. In other words, a genuine route involves a registrar’s reference number or a direct approach to the organisation using its published contact details, not an unsolicited message asking for a fee.

Reporting

CTSI’s contact points for anyone affected are Action Fraud in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000, Consumerline in Northern Ireland on 0300 123 6262, and the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 for consumer advice.

Frequently asked questions

Can a family member be made to pay a relative’s debts?

According to Citizens Advice, not in general, unless the debt was joint or relates to a shared property, such as council tax or water bills.

Should a funeral livestream ever cost money?

CTSI says nobody should be charged to attend a funeral, whether in person or by livestream.

The bottom line

Bereavement scams rely on grief and haste. The sources agree on the same defences: never pay to attend a funeral, donate only through channels confirmed with the funeral director, never pay an unsolicited debt or insurance demand without independent checks, and report attempts without embarrassment. Debts of the person who died are normally dealt with by the executor or administrator from the estate, not by relatives being pursued by unknown callers.