Beware of emails that purport to be alerting you to the funeral of a friend. It may be yet another tricky way to activate malware on your computer.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer recently ran a column titled “Funeral service e-notice may contain malware: Plain Dealing.” The article by consumer affairs writer Sheryl Harris starts out:
Funeral homes – and the rest of us – need to be on alert for a nasty new email scam.
This scam appears to swipe the names and logos of funeral homes in hopes of getting recipients to click on a malware-infected link.
The email purports to be an e-invite to a funeral or remembrance service for an unnamed friend or acquaintance.
The email may have the subject line “funeral notification” or “passing of your friend.”
Several versions are circulating, but a typical one reads:
“You are cordially invited to express your sympathy in memory of your friend at a celebration of life service….”
There’s a link to get more info about the deceased and the service. That link apparently is infected with malware. Do not click it.
The emails include an upcoming date for the service, so recipients may feel they have little time to get the information they need. Most scammers create a sense of urgency exactly so people will click first and question later.
We are getting to the age where we might expect to receive such notices. But be very careful what you open. Because sometimes, just opening an e-mail can activate malware, and a host of other bad things.
If you receive any similar notice that does not have a specific name, assume it is part of this scam and delete it immediately.