# Friend request from beyond the grave **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 20, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214 "2020-04-20T20:15:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214/1 "2020-04-20T20:15:05Z")
So I just got a friend request on Facebook from a person I know, and I know she passed away about a year ago. I am guessing her page has been taken over by a bot or someone who will be using it for nefarious purposes. My question is how to report/squash/or otherwise respond to this. I did not friend her, BTW ---
**Author:** ![Tabco](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tabco/32/7644_2.png) [@Tabco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabco)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214/2 "2020-04-20T20:35:29Z")
When my dad died I learned there was a way to “memorialize” his account so that it could never be accessed again. All I had to do was send an email to Facebook saying he died, and a cursory glance at his page, now filled with comments from friends and family mourning his loss, was enough to convince Facebook that he had, in fact, died. The name of his page was changed from his name to “Remembering [name]” and the only activity it receives are occasional remembrance posts from others. You might be able to try something similar in the case of the person you know. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214/3 "2020-04-20T20:58:28Z")
> [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](#): > > So I just got a friend request on Facebook from a person I know, and I know she passed away about a year ago. > > I am guessing her page has been taken over by a bot or someone who will be using it for nefarious purposes. My question is how to report/squash/or otherwise respond to this. > > I did not friend her, BTW If you click on the three dots on the upper right of the post, you will find an option for “Find Support or Report Post.” You can then send Facebook a report on your concerns. [How to Report Things on Facebook.](https://www.facebook.com/help/181495968648557) A few months ago a received a Friend Request that appeared to be from my second cousin. I was immediately suspicious since I was already friends with him. When I checked, someone else had copied his page and was impersonating him. I responded to see what the scam was, and after a few posts he wanted to share a great new investment opportunity with me. I reported the profile as an impersonator, and Facebook took it down in a matter of minutes. It’s possible the original profile hasn’t been hijacked, but that someone has created a new profile to impersonate the original person. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214/4 "2020-04-20T21:12:39Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It’s possible the original profile hasn’t been hijacked, but that someone has created a new profile to impersonate the original person. Yeah, that happens quite a lot - usually the account impersonated is a living person, but I doubt the scammer doing it really cares one way or the other ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214/5 "2020-04-20T21:21:04Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Yeah, that happens quite a lot - usually the account impersonated is a living person, but I doubt the scammer doing it really cares one way or the other Yes, you might want to do a search on the name (if it’s not too common) and see if it’s an attempt to duplicate the page of the deceased. (I knew immediately that my cousin’s page was forged because it gave his birth date as 1975, when his actual birth date was more like 1935.) ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214/6 "2020-04-20T22:43:17Z")
Thanks guys. I’ll will follow your advice and report to Facebook. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214/7 "2020-04-20T22:49:33Z")
A few years ago, I knew a woman who died fairly young (50s or so). Her family (sibling) kept the Facebook account open because she had two special needs sons and the sibs adopted them. This was their way of keeping people informed of the boys’ progress, milestones, etc. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214/8 "2020-04-20T23:42:07Z")
Yeah, I got two fake friend requests recently. Maybe fake activity is up.