Digital assets after death: Managing risks to your loved one’s digital estate

This article addresses the growing threat of fraudsters targeting deceased individuals' digital accounts and their grieving relatives. Scammers exploit the vulnerability of the bereaved to gain unauthorized access to email, social media, and financial accounts. The primary risks include identity theft, financial fraud, and emotional manipulation of family members. Key mitigation strategies include promptly notifying financial institutions and service providers of a death, securing social media accounts with memorialization settings, monitoring for suspicious activity, and maintaining strict privacy during the grieving period. While not a technical threat advisory, organizations should educate employees about this social engineering risk affecting personal accounts and digital estates.

Fraudsters often target the accounts of the deceased or their grieving relatives. Here’s how to keep the scammers at bay.

This article addresses the growing threat of fraudsters targeting deceased individuals' digital accounts and their grieving relatives. Scammers exploit the vulnerability of the bereaved to gain unauthorized access to email, social media, and financial accounts. The primary risks include identity theft, financial fraud, and emotional manipulation of family members. Key mitigation strategies include promptly notifying financial institutions and service providers of a death, securing social media accounts with memorialization settings, monitoring for suspicious activity, and maintaining strict privacy during the grieving period. While not a technical threat advisory, organizations should educate employees about this social engineering risk affecting personal accounts and digital estates. Fraudsters often target the accounts of the deceased or their grieving relatives. Here’s how to keep the scammers at bay. Fraudsters often target the accounts of the deceased or their grieving relatives. Here’s how to keep the scammers at bay.