Facebook hopes to stop the awkward moments when you get a birthday notification for someone who has already passed away.
The social media website offers a number of ways you can make sure your wishes are carried out if you or a loved one passes away.
By providing an obituary or death certificate, Facebook will mark a deceased person’s page with the words “remembering” before the user’s name.
Facebook users can also use the site’s legacy contact feature to designate a friend to be in control of the user’s page. The designation is made by the user and gives the friend permission to post information about memorial services, update the cover photo and accept new friend requests.
The legacy contact cannot delete past posts.
Facebook users can also go to the legacy contact feature and request that their Facebook page be deleted when they die.
Each user must make this selection before they pass away if they wish a legacy contact to access these features.
To access this feature, sign into your Facebook account and click on the question mark in the top right. Type the words “legacy contact” into the search box and press return.
You can also access information here.
FACEBOOK SCAMS
A relative of a man who died in Denver says he was scammed out of $800 after he thought he was working with Facebook customer service to access his brother’s account.
“I kind of wanted to make a memorial out of his Facebook so we could post pictures still and people can post pictures and they can you know just keep it open,” Jesse Martinez said about his brother, Aaron’s, page.
Jesse Martinez didn’t have his brother’s password so he googled what to do and found a page claiming to be Facebook’s customer service.
He used the number he found to call the service, the man who answered told Jesse Martinez he needed to buy iTunes gift cards locally to prove he lived in the city he claimed.
He admits that losing his brother so suddenly, clouded his judgement.
“I feel embarrassed. I feel stupid. I feel – you know – I feel how can I fall into that kind of thing,” Jesse Martinez said.
Jesse bought nearly a dozen iTunes cards and forwarded the numbers to the man at the telephone number he found online.
After providing the ID numbers from the cards, the man disconnected the phone number and disappeared.
Facebook expert Traci Reuter founded Divine Social in Denver.
“My primary focus is helping businesses advertise on Facebook. That’s the only time that Facebook takes money from anyone. It’s from advertisers,” she said.
