‘Facebook Dead’ Prank Can Cause Headaches For Victims

If you want to play a very mean prank on someone, then you can fill out an online form that will declare that person dead on Facebook.

Getting the ball rolling is apparently as easy as filling out an online form. According to Fox 8 WGHP, the ability to declare someone dead on Facebook has created headaches for several people. Once the form has been submitted, the person’s account is effectively locked down and transformed into a memorial page.

Although getting the account shut down is relatively simple, getting it unlocked once the memorial page is in place can be a little difficult. A person who finds they have been “memorialized” are forced to fill out another online form to declare that they are alive and well.

To see how simple it was to execute the “Facebook dead” prank, the folks at Buzzfeed decided to play the joke one of their employees. After locating the form in the Facebook Help section, the website supplied the required information. All it takes to get things started is the person’s name, email, and account name. Once you’ve stated that you’re a friend or a family member, all that’s required is an obituary.

The only required official document is an obit that matches the person’s name. As long as the victim of the prank has a common name, finding an obituary is as easy as doing a quick Google search. Once the online link as been supplied, the memorial page is only a few clicks away.

“We try to take all necessary precautions when processing user requests and provide an appeals process for any possible mistake we may make,” Facebook said in response to the death prank.

The Inquisitr previously reported that Rusty Foster fell victim to the joke while he was on vacation. Upon returning from his holiday, the man discovered that a memorial page had been put up in place of his personal Facebook page.

Gigaom states that it could take hours or even days to get the “Facebook death” prank reversed. So unless you really dislike the individual you’re about the memorialize, it’s probably best to save your friends and family the hassle of having to prove to they’re really alive.