Police warn of social-media scam ahead of Elsie Dot Stancombe's funeral

Police have issued advice ahead of the funeral of Southport stabbing victim Elsie Dot Stancombe after scammers set up fake accounts offering live streams of funerals in exchange for donations.Police received reports that scammers had been setting up social media accounts to offer fake live streams of funerals, including those of the Southport stabbing victims.A number of Facebook accounts were reportedly set up to provide a fake link to a 'live stream' of Bebe King’s funeral, which took place on Saturday 17 August, along with a link to a donations page.

It’s believed similar scams have been set up ahead of Elsie Dot Stancombe's funeral on Friday 23 August.

Merseyside Police have issued some advice and tips to social media users on how to avoid being duped by scammers.

Detective Inspector Steve Frame said: "We are aware of social media accounts offering people the chance to view live streams of funerals in exchange for donations."To take advantage of such a tragic incident is appalling and we want to give people advice on how to avoid being scammed.

"Many frauds start by tricking people into entering their details into an apparently legitimate site. Take care when accessing websites, particularly those promoted by social media accounts – they may not be what they appear to be."

The advice issued by the Cyber Crime unit says:"Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email, text or social media post.

"Remember, email addresses and phone numbers can be spoofed, so don't use those as a means to verify that a message or call is authentic.

"The best way to get in touch with a company is to use a known email or phone number, such as the one on the back of your bank card."