'No decency': Family's anger at funeral scam

Alex Chadwick died of heart failure in May, aged 36

A grieving family has warned scammers are targeting mourners on social media with fake streams of funeral services.

Gary Chadwick, from East Barkwith, Lincolnshire, said he discovered a fake Facebook page following the funeral of his son Alex Chadwick.

The bogus site used a picture of Alex and claimed to have footage of the service, even though it was not filmed.

Mr Chadwick said he believed the fraudsters try and get people's data or solicit cash donations.

The Facebook page claimed to offer a live stream of Alex Chadwick's funeral

He said those responsible have "no decency" and called for legislation to try and stop the problem.

"Just keep away," he said. "Let people grieve in peace, instead of trying to profit out of our grief. It's just not right."

Mr Chadwick said he believed the family was targeted as Alex was young and had a lot of followers on social media.

Gary Chadwick has called for legislation to try and deal with the problem

Alex, 36, who worked with horses, died from heart failure in May.

More than 250 people attended his funeral on 28 June, which was held at St Oswald’s church in Blankney.

His mother Sheena Fryer said initially social media had “helped us so much, knowing how much he was loved".

Describing the scam as "absolutely shocking", she added: "It's made it so much harder now to get on with it."

Sheena Fryer, Alex's mother, says she was "shocked" by the fake funeral page

Mike Oakden, from Lincoln-based R Arnold Funeral Services, which was instructed by the family to conduct Alex's funeral, said it is an increasing problem.

"Going through the funeral process is a very difficult thing," he said.

"So something like this on the back of it, where you're worrying what's going to happen afterwards... It's very, very difficult and we need to keep an eye on it."

In March, a Darlington funeral directors warned of similar scams operating in North East England.

Alex Chadwick worked with horses

A spokesperson for Facebook owner Meta said: “We don’t allow fraudulent activity on our platforms and have removed the accounts brought to our attention.

"We are continually investing in protections against fraud for people who use our platforms, and work closely with law enforcement to support investigations. We encourage our community to report activity like this to us and the police, so we can take action.”

The page has since been removed by Meta.

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