Fake pics of murdered Abcoude girl's funeral used for online scams
Online scammers are using fake photos of Lisa from Abcoude’s funeral to lure people to fraudulent websites. Pictures of an open grave, a heart with the name Lisa on it, and crying people, that bear no relation to the 17-year-old girl’s murder or actual funeral, are common on Facebook, and thousands of people are falling for it, AD reports.
The images on Facebook mostly come with clickbait headlines and a link to a foreign website in the comments. “Lisa’s funeral: family, friends, and classmates in tears at the final farewell.” Or: “As the coffin was slowly closed, everyone felt the emptiness Lisa left behind.”
Lisa’s family is aware of these images, Selma Hetharia of Namens de Familie, an organization that acts as spokespersons for the victims of crimes or calamities, told AD. “We told them about the fake news and the photos so they wouldn’t be shocked. I advised them to ignore the posts. The family needs some peace and quiet to continue grieving the loss of Lisa,” Hetharia said.
Such fake images are “a growing problem that is truly painful for relatives and victims,” said Evy Khouw, founder of Namens de Familie.
Lisa was murdered in Duivendrecht during the early hours of August 20, as she was cycling home from a night out with friends in Amsterdam. Her violent death had a major impact on society, with multiple commemorations, silent marches, nighttime bike rides, and the national “We Claim the Night” campaign organized in the aftermath of her murder.
According to media expert Jaap van Zessen, scammers are capitalizing on news that is on everyone’s minds. “The sites linked to in these posts all appear to be scams. It’s a revenue model for advertising and deception,” he told AD. “A large portion of the followers were likely purchased. The fake websites are often designed as clickbait. Sensational headlines and stories arouse curiosity, prompting people to click. The creator earns money per ad view.” The scammers could also generate revenue through phishing, fake online stores, and malware.
This is a growing problem, Van Zessen said. He advised people to always look at the source of the post. “The number of followers doesn’t tell you much. Look at the page itself and the website they link to. People need to learn to look at the source of a post. You didn’t read something ‘on Facebook,’ but from a source,” he said. “It’s comparable to phishing via WhatsApp. You think no one would fall for that, but when it’s on Facebook, people apparently forget to look at the actual sender in their anger or surprise.”
