Facebook has hit the headlines again for introducing a new service helping its members reconnect with old friends. However within moments of the service going live facebook was inundated with furious emails as members were being encouraged to reconnect with deceased friends!

The new ‘reconnecting’ service Facebook introduced turned into a PR nightmare for them. The repercussions on brand damage were huge, news stories started appearing online and national newspapers also carried the story of the insensitive reconnecting messages.

Facebook’s head of security quickly responded with a solution, by requesting proof of death such as an obituary or news article! Anyone who is responsible for managing consumer databases knows the importance of screening for deceased individuals on a regular basis and applying industry best practice. Not only does this help to avoid the negative headlines and reduce brand damage but also lessens the risk of upsetting and alienating existing and potential customers.

However with vast amounts of personal data stored and published online, fraudsters are continually lurking in cyberspace.  Unscrupulous individuals make a hobby and even a career out of identifying deceased members of the public and using online ‘skimming’ techniques to collect relevant information to steal people’s identity.

According to CIFAS, the UK’s fraud prevention service, during the first quarter of 2009 there has been a massive 74 per cent increase in deceased identity fraud compared to the same period in 2008.  Without wanting to be sensationalist or taking the moral high ground, companies who store and use personal data must understand the importance of putting strict procedures into place which help to identify deceased individuals. With over 600,000 people sadly passing away each year regular database management is imperative.

Until recently the deceased suppression market was often thought to be a confusing market place with a number of deceased suppression files available. However last month Mortascreen signed an exclusive partnership agreement with deceased data provider Lifecycle Marketing, which will provide Mortascreen with deceased data from over 90 per cent of UK register offices. 

I am pleased that Facebook have now introduced the option for family and friends to ‘memorialise’ profiles of members who have died and remove sensitive information such as status updates and contacts. But as identity fraudsters continue to find security loopholes using clever and complex techniques to steal identities, I am sure they could quickly forge obituaries or edit news articles as proof to steal the identity of dormant members.