Fake Obituary Scams Rising

SUMMARY

In late December 2023, fake obituaries of Brian Vastag and Beth Mazur spread online, causing distress among friends and highlighting issues with AI-generated spam obituaries and Google's struggle to manage them.

IDEAS:

• AI tools are being used to generate spam obituaries, exploiting Google's search algorithms for profit.
• Funeral homes and individuals alike have been battling obituary aggregator sites for over 15 years.
• Google's efforts to combat obituary spam have been ongoing, with recent updates aimed at improving search results quality.
• Scammers use SEO manipulation to fill information voids with fake obituaries, targeting both celebrities and private individuals.
• The proliferation of AI-generated content has made it harder to distinguish legitimate obituaries from spam.
• Some scam websites use AI-generated images for their staff, adding a layer of deception.
• The scam not only targets grieving families but also aims to generate ad revenue through clicks on fake obituary articles.
• Secureworks highlights the rapid creation and dissemination of fake obituaries as a growing concern.
• Google has announced changes to fight against low-quality spammy search results, specifically mentioning obituary scams.

QUOTES:

• "[The obituaries] had this real world impact where at least four people that I know of called [our] mutual friends, and thought that I had died with her, like we had a suicide pact or something."
• "Google always aims to surface high quality information, but data voids are a known challenge for all search engines."
• "Obituary scraping is a common practice that affects not just celebrities and public figures, but also average, private individuals."
• "The sites have hallmarks of being generated using artificial intelligence tools."
• "Duping Mourners."
• "It's the core of the business for the aggregators, right? They know that Google search algorithms are on their side."
• "The Thaiger staff page lists eight writers, none of whom appear to have LinkedIn profiles, and at least three of whom appear to be AI generated in their headshots."
• "Whoever came up with [the articles] — they didn’t know Beth, they don’t know anything about her."
• "A new Secureworks blog post highlights just how rapidly these fake obits can be created and disseminated."
• "Google makes security changes."

FACTS:

• Brian Vastag was mistakenly reported dead alongside Beth Mazur in December 2023 due to fake obituaries spreading online.
• Beth Mazur passed away on December 21st, 2023, but fake articles also claimed Brian Vastag's death.
• Over a dozen websites published articles about Mazur’s death, exploiting Google's search algorithms for profit.
• Funeral homes have been dealing with obituary aggregator sites for at least 15 years.
• Generative AI tools are accelerating the production of low-quality fake obituaries.
• Google has struggled to contain obituary spam for years, with SEO-bait websites exploiting the system.
• The Thaiger is an example of a site producing a constant stream of clickbait news articles, including fake obituaries.
• Secureworks reported on the rapid creation and dissemination of fake obituaries as a growing concern.
• Google announced changes aimed at rooting out low-quality spammy search results, specifically referencing obituary scams.
• Scammers use AI-generated fake obituaries to exploit ad revenue opportunities.

REFERENCES:

• Eternal Honoring
• In Loving Memories News
• MEAction Network
• Legacy.com
• MKJ Marketing
• The Thaiger
• FreshersLive
• Secureworks blog post
• CNN report on AI-generated fake obituaries
• Google's blog post on search engine improvements

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Be cautious when navigating to unknown websites and verify the legitimacy of online obituaries.
• Educate employees about the threats posed by fake obituary sites and implement detection solutions like Secureworks Taegis™ XDR.
• Use caution when clicking on CAPTCHAs or pop-up notifications on suspicious websites to avoid malware or adware.
• Check multiple sources before sharing information about someone's death to prevent spreading misinformation.
• Report suspicious obituary sites to Google to help improve search results quality.
• Stay informed about the latest tactics used by scammers and educate others in your community.
• Consider using ad blockers or privacy-focused browsers when researching sensitive topics like obituaries online.
• Monitor Google search trends for names of deceased individuals to be aware of potential scams.
• Encourage funeral homes to optimize their websites for search engines to compete with aggregator sites.
• Support efforts by tech companies to combat spammy and low-quality content in search results.