Worrying rate of online scams following Pope's death, says Bucks cybersecurity expert
With better technologies, AI-backed scams, and clever traps, web and social media users are being urged to act with caution
As the Pope's funeral brought millions of mourners together from around the globe, a cybersecurity expert from Buckinghamshire is telling us criminals have been profiting from their generosity.
This past week has seen a surge of sophisticated scams aimed at exploiting public mourning and curiosity.
Within hours of the Pope’s passing, AI-generated images and false news reports began circulating widely across platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
These posts, designed to lure users, redirected them to fraudulent websites promoting fake news about the Pope’s death or to spoofed Google pages offering bogus gift cards.
Charlotte Wilson, Head of Enterprise at the cybersecurity firm CheckPoint, explained how cybercriminals are using the public’s emotional response to launch malicious attacks.
She said: "They tend to be people like you and I, mums and dads, sisters and brothers, that may be on social media, but also being tempted away from those social media platforms onto maybe other platforms so they can donate or offer gift cards or something.
"The challenge is while they're interacting, sometimes they can be taken off to somewhere where someone can take money from them."
CheckPoint's investigation also uncovered that some of the malicious websites silently extracted user data without any interaction.
Background malware collected details such as device specifications, location, and system information, which could then be used in targeted phishing attacks or sold on dark web markets.
According to CheckPoint, cybercriminals manipulated search engine results using paid SEO tactics, placing malicious sites among credible news sources. Users searching for terms like “Pope Francis death” risked encountering fraudulent sites capable of harvesting credentials or installing malware.
Ms Wilson warned of the increasing sophistication of these scams: "The people doing this are really good at their jobs. Some of the scams are obvious, but a lot aren't. A lot are really, really good and they're very convincing.
"If you don't think it could be real or if you've got any doubt, don't click on that."
She also emphasised basic steps to protect against cyber threats, including keeping phones and computers updated, using antivirus software, and taking time to verify links rather than reacting immediately to social media posts.
She explained that while companies like CheckPoint work to take down malicious sites and inform authorities, tracing and prosecuting cybercriminals remains complex and often incomplete.
"It is ever on the rise... and also with technologies like AI, things can be moved very quickly and one scam can be proliferated across many different social media posts," she said.
To help users protect themselves, experts recommend:
- Keeping operating systems and browsers updated
- Using real-time web security tools
- Avoiding sensationalist headlines and viral links
- Typing news URLs directly into the browser
- Verifying domains with security platforms like VirusTotal
- Installing cybersecurity software with phishing protection and real-time updates