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uk Death, bereavement & serious family crises

What to do if…
you receive a suspicious fundraising or payment request after a death

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Pause and do not send money or personal information yet. Verify the request through a separate, trusted contact route, and contact your bank or payment provider immediately if you have already paid or shared financial details.

Do not do these things

  • Do not pay because the message creates urgency, guilt or fear of appearing unsupportive.
  • Do not click links, scan QR codes, open attachments or download files from the request.
  • Do not use contact details supplied in the suspicious message to verify it.
  • Do not share passwords, PINs, one-time security codes, bank login details or identity documents.
  • Do not assume a familiar name, photograph, email address or social media account proves who sent the request.
  • Do not send another payment if the sender claims the first one failed or went to the wrong account.
  • Do not accuse someone publicly or circulate the request widely before checking what happened.
  • Do not delete the request before saving a basic record of it.

What to do now

  1. Stop responding and place the request on hold. Save the message, sender details, web address, payment details and time received without opening its links or attachments.
  2. Contact someone you already know is closely connected to the death, using a phone number or account you trusted before the request arrived. Ask whether the fundraiser or payment request is genuine.
  3. If the request claims to come from a funeral director, charity, solicitor or other organisation, find its contact details independently through its official website or existing paperwork. Ask it to confirm the request and payment details.
  4. Check whether the named organiser, beneficiary, purpose and payment destination match what the family or organisation confirms. Leave the request unpaid if any detail cannot be verified.
  5. If the request came through a fundraising or social media platform, open that platform separately rather than through the message. Check the organiser’s profile and use the platform’s reporting route if the page appears false or compromised.
  6. If you have already paid, contact your bank or payment provider immediately through its official app, website or the number on your card. Explain that the payment may be fraudulent and ask whether it can be stopped or recovered.
  7. If you shared banking details, card details or security information, tell your bank immediately. If you shared a password, change it promptly through the genuine service and change it anywhere else you reused it.
  8. Report suspicious emails, texts, websites or online adverts through the appropriate official reporting route. If you lost money, were hacked or experienced fraud, report it to Report Fraud if you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland; in Scotland, contact Police Scotland.
  9. Quietly alert one trusted family contact that a suspicious request may be circulating so they can check whether anyone else has received or paid it.

What can wait

You do not need to decide whether to donate, find another fundraiser, confront the sender, post a public warning or resolve wider funeral or estate costs now. Focus only on pausing the request, verifying it independently and protecting any money, account or information already exposed.

Important reassurance

Taking time to verify a request is not disrespectful to the person who died or their family. A genuine organiser should understand that fundraising pages and payment details need to be checked, particularly during a distressing and confusing period.

Scope note

This guide covers immediate steps for handling one suspicious fundraising or payment request. Later questions about recovering money, identity misuse, formal complaints, estate administration or continuing contact may require help from your bank, the police, the relevant platform or another specialist.

Important note

This is general information, not legal, financial or other professional advice. Reporting and recovery options can depend on where in the UK you live, how the request arrived and how any payment was made.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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