Greg's Corner

Tagged: funeral Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• 

  Geebo 8:01 am on August 14, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: funeral, funeral expenses ( 10 ), funeral home scam ( 7 ), impersonation scam ( 165 )   

  Funeral home scams garner national headlines 

  

  By Greg Collier

  You know a scam must be bad when one of the national news networks covers it. NBC News is warning its viewers and readers of one of the most despicable scams going today, the funeral home scam.

  Most people aren’t familiar with the scam, since it only targets families who have recently lost loved ones. As much as we deny it to ourselves, there will unfortunately come a day when we have to assist in laying a loved one to rest. It’s better to be aware of the scam now, then having to experience it for the first tile while you’re mourning.

  Fraudulent individuals exploit obituaries of recently departed individuals for their schemes. These obituaries often include the funeral home responsible for the deceased’s final arrangements. These scammers manipulate the situation by falsifying the funeral home’s contact number and contacting the grieving family under the pretense of representing the funeral home. Their usual approach involves asserting that there are discrepancies in the billing or that an extra insurance payment is required. They swiftly proceed to demand an instant payment via phone. Shockingly, there have been cases where these scammers go to the extent of implying that they will withhold the deceased’s remains until the payment is settled.

  In NBC News’ report, they detail the stories of two people who were targeted by scammers during the worst time of their lives. In the first story, scammers targeted a woman who had just lost her husband of 22 years the day before. They claimed she owed the funeral home an additional $5000, but she could pay $2500 first through Zelle or Apple Pay. The victim tried to make payments, but they kept getting flagged as suspicious. Luckily, her son overheard the conversation and advised her to end the call.

  In the other story, scammers called a woman making arrangements for her husband while she was at the funeral home. The scammers had spoofed the number of the funeral home and were using the name of an actual funeral home employee. The funeral director got on the phone and identified herself, which caused the scammers to hang up.

  In the regrettable circumstance of having to arrange a funeral for a cherished individual, it is advisable to secure a comprehensive breakdown of expenses from the chosen funeral home. This practice can significantly contribute to safeguarding both you and your family from falling victim to such deceptive scammers.

  Also, please keep in mind legitimate funeral homes, and most businesses, will not ask for payment through a mobile payment app like Zelle. In the unfortunate event, you receive a phone call like this while arranging a loved one’s funeral, hang up and call the funeral home directly.

   

  Leave a ReplyCancel reply
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on June 29, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: funeral, funeral expenses ( 10 ), funeral home scam ( 7 ), impersonation scam ( 165 ), Scams ( 1,455 )   

  New scam becomes disturbing trend 

  

  By Greg Collier

  Let’s just come right out and say it. Funeral scammers are ghouls. Most people are at their lowest emotional point when they’re confronted with having to inter a loved one. Since scammers use emotional manipulation as one of their tools, they’ve decided that when families are grieving is the best time to target them in a scam. But not just any scam, mind you. Scammers are specifically targeting the funeral home process to try to extort money from their victims. And unfortunately, this scam is starting to become even more prevalent.

  Funeral scammers will comb the obituaries of the recently deceased. Traditionally, obituaries will contain the name of the funeral home that’s taking care of the deceased’s funeral proceedings. While spoofing the funeral home’s phone number, scammers will call the deceased’s family claiming to be from the funeral home. Typically, the scammers will say an item was left off the billing or that the family needs to pay some form of additional insurance before asking for an immediate payment over the phone. In some instances, the scammers will even act like they’ll hold the deceased’s remains hostage until a payment is made.

  Recently, funeral scammers targeted a family from the Philadelphia area. Just hours after the deceased’s obituary had been published, scammers were calling the family looking for money. The scammers used a funeral home employee’s name they had gotten from the funeral home’s website. They told the family urn/casket insurance had not been purchased and would need to be done so immediately. Thankfully, the family recognized this for what it was, and hung up the call. They called the funeral home themselves just to verify they had spoken to a scammer.

  In the unfortunate event you have to plan a funeral for a loved one, it’s recommended to get an itemized statement from the funeral home. This will go a long way in helping to protect you and your family from these scammers.

  It’s a shame the grieving have to be warned about funeral scams, but unfortunately, that is the world we live in today.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on June 8, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: car wrapping ( 11 ), check scam ( 80 ), fake check ( 49 ), funeral, funeral home scam ( 7 ), impersonation scam ( 165 ), Scams ( 1,455 ), social security ( 30 ), SSA ( 4 )   

  Scam Round Up: Money recovered in Social Security scam and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’re starting off with a pretty grim scam today. We’ve posted about it before, but it seems to be becoming more common, so we thought we’d remind our readers about it. We’re talking about the funeral home scam. Scammers have been going through obituaries and targeting the families of the recently deceased. As a family is in the process of grieving, scammers will call them, posing as whatever funeral home the family is using. The scammers will claim the family needs to make an additional payment before their loved one could be interred.

  Scammers are constantly looking for victims who may be emotionally vulnerable, and what’s more emotional than the passing of a loved one. If you receive a phone call like this, please keep in mind that in most instances, financial arrangements are always handled at the funeral home itself. Hang up on the call, and call the funeral home directly to verify if there are any issues.

  In our second scam story, the summer months can bring about their own scams. One of those is the car wrapping scam. This is when scammers will offer to pay you for wrapping your car with advertisements. In the majority of cases, this is just an avenue for scammers to send their victims a fake check. The victim will be sent a check and told to deposit in their bank account. Then they’re told to use that money to pay the car wrap vendor through apps like Venmo or Cash App before the victim’s bank discovers the check is fraudulent. This leaves the victim on the hook to their bank for the full amount of the check and any associated fees.

  Lastly, a woman from Louisiana was one of the lucky ones recently as authorities were able to recover over $100,000 from a Social Security scam. The woman received a call from who she thought was the Social Security Administration. The news report didn’t say what the scammers were asking payment for, but typically in this scam, the scammers threaten the victim by claiming the victim’s benefits will be cut off if they don’t make the payment.

  The victim wired $146,000 to the scammers’ bank account, but police were able to work with the bank to recover $122,000 of the woman’s money. However, this is the exception and not the rule. In many scams that involve banks, the banks see the transactions as legitimate since they were made by the customer, even if it was done under duress.

  If you receive a call from the SSA, the odds are that caller is a scammer. Hang up the phone, then call the SSA directly at 1-800-772-1213 and let them know what the caller said. If there really is an issue, the SSA will contact you by mail first.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on May 24, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: funeral, funeral expenses ( 10 ), impersonation scam ( 165 ), Scams ( 1,455 )   

  Is there any scam worse than a funeral scam? 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’re never in a more vulnerable state than after the loss of a loved one. It’s even worse when the loss was unexpected. Nobody ever wants to arrange a funeral. Unfortunately, for most of us, it’s an inevitability. Whether it’s a spouse, a parent, or even a child, no one ever wants to have to discuss the financial details of having their loved one laid to rest. For scammers, this is just another opportunity for them to use emotional manipulation to trick grieving families into giving them money.

  In Georgia, a family almost lost $14,000 after falling prey to a funeral scammer. Some scammers keep an eye on the local obituaries. When someone passes and their obituary is published, scammers will pose as employees of the funeral home. The scammers will tell their victims there’s been an error in billing and the victim needs to pay more money. They’ll often show up at the victim’s home to collect the payment in cash or check.

  In the Georgia case, the suspects were arrested after they had difficulty trying to cash the check. In previous instances of this scam, we’ve seen scammers make it appear as if they were holding the remains of the deceased hostage until the victim made a payment.

  In order to protect yourself from such a scam, it is recommended to get an itemized bill from the funeral home that shows exactly how much services cost.

  Whenever you receive a call from someone requesting an unexpected payment, it is crucial to verify their claims. Do not automatically assume the call is authentic merely based on the displayed caller ID. Take the initiative to contact the business or agency directly, as they will provide guidance regarding the legitimacy of the caller’s demands.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on April 19, 2023 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: funeral, funeral expenses ( 10 ), impersonation scam ( 165 ), Scams ( 1,455 ), spoofed calls ( 9 )   

  Funeral home impersonation scam victimizes widow 

  

  By Greg Collier

  We’ve posted some absolutely heart-wrenching scams lately. One that stands out is the scam where con artists tried to collect imaginary tax debts from the families of the recently deceased. The one we’re about to discuss is much worse. This scam tries to take advantage of the grieving before a proper funeral has even occurred.

  A woman from the San Diego Metro Area recently lost her husband at a much too young age. The husband also left behind their two-year-old son. Before her husband could even be buried, she received a call from someone saying they were with the funeral home.

  The caller asked the woman for a $50 payment, claiming it was for some type of insurance in case a funeral home worker were to get injured. The phone number was spoofed, so it appeared the call was actually coming from the funeral home.

  The caller the started pressuring the woman to make a payment then and there over the phone. She was told that she couldn’t come down to the funeral home, she couldn’t pay in cash, and had to pay by credit card over the phone.

  After not giving the caller any money, they called back again to tell the grieving widow that they were refusing her service because she was so ‘rude’ to them. The panic she experienced must have been unimaginable while trying to figure out what to do after a funeral home has refused service.

  To her credit, she made some phone calls and determined the whole thing was a scam.

  When someone is grieving, they’re at their most vulnerable time of their life. As we know, scammers prefer to target the vulnerable, hoping that their victims are in such an emotional state they’re not thinking straight.

  Any time you receive a call from someone asking for any kind of surprise payment, verify their story. Don’t believe the call is legitimate just because the caller ID shows the correct number. Call the business or agency directly, and they’ll be able to advise you on the veracity of the caller’s request.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on October 28, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: charity scam ( 37 ), donations ( 4 ), funeral, Scams ( 1,455 )   

  Grim donation scam plagues intersections 

  

  By Greg Collier

  If you’ve driven any amount of time in the US, you’ve undoubtedly seen roadside donations taking place at a certain intersection. Often you’ll see the local fire department out collecting donations to help combat childhood diseases. They’re usually easy to identify since it’s clear who they are from their uniforms. Sometimes you might see a local civic group having a collection drive for any number of reasons. Again, they usually have plenty of signage identifying their organization and what they’re collecting for. But what if you saw a group of people collecting donations for a child’s funeral? Would you toss them a couple of bucks? If you answered yes, you may want to reconsider that donation.

  Recently, we’ve seen reports from various parts of the country where scammers are allegedly setting up shop in busy intersections. They’re said to be holding signs asking for donations to help pay for a teenage girl’s funeral. Or it could also be for the funeral of a young boy. However, the constant theme among all of the scams is the scammers have claimed they need money for a child’s funeral.

  And when we say, it’s happening in different parts of the country, we mean it. We have reports from Western Massachusetts, Southern California, Missouri, and another report from Southern California. While we don’t think the scammers are connected, it can’t be coincidence that these scams have sprung up all around the same time. It’s reminiscent of all the fake violinists who started appearing in parking lots across the country.

  Scammers will use every dirty trick in the book to either lull you into a sense of panic or pull on your heartstrings to try to get your money. And there’s nothing sadder than a funeral for a child to elicit a few donations on the street. However, a funeral scam is probably one of the lowest scams that someone can pull.

   
• 

  Geebo 8:00 am on August 26, 2022 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: covid testing ( 4 ), covid-19 ( 48 ), FEMA ( 11 ), funeral, gofundme ( 10 ), kentucky ( 6 ), medicare ( 18 ), Scams ( 1,455 )   

  Scam Round Up: Funeral scammers and more 

  

  By Greg Collier

  It’s been a while since we had a scam round up. To any new readers, this is where we bring you a number of short scam stories. These stories usually can either be told quickly or are reminders of past scams.

  ***

  Earlier this month, we posted a story warning victims of floods to look out for scammers posing as FEMA agents. We also warned that scammers might also file FEMA claims in the victim’s name, while claiming any financial assistance for themselves.

  A report out of Kentucky, where floods recently devastated a portion of the state, says that flood victims are starting to see FEMA agents show up to their home when they never filed a claim. One victim had a FEMA claim filed under her maiden name and had FEMA agents show up to her home looking to make an inspection.

  If you think a FEMA claim might have been filed in your name, contact the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-3362.

  ***

  Speaking of government agencies, Medicare is probably the most targeted agency when it comes to scammers. What makes it worse, is that the scammers need someone enrolled in Medicare to scam the government.

  The Federal Trade Commission has issued a warning about the latest Medicare scam targeting recipients. Scammers are calling Medicare recipients and offering them free COVID-19 tests. Scammers actually want the recipient’s Medicare information, so they can fraudulently bill Medicare for a service or item the insured never receive.

  Please keep in mind that free COVID tests are easily available through the USPS website and are available to anyone.

  ***

  Lastly, we think this story might just be the lowest we’ve ever seen scammers stoop, and that covers a lot of ground.

  Recently, a family from Illinois had to deal with the tragic loss of their 16-year-old son. When a tragedy like this makes the local news, it’s almost a guarantee that the GoFundMe scammers come out of the woodwork, and that’s exactly what happened. Fake GoFundMe pages started springing up claiming to be collecting for the family. But that wasn’t the worst thing that happened.

  According to the family, there were scammers who were physically at their son’s funeral collecting money from mourners, stating that they were collecting for the family. Thousands of dollars were allegedly collected by the scammers at the funeral.

  GoFundMe is actually pretty good when it comes to cracking down on scammers once notified. They’ve stated that the money given to the phony GFM pages has not been released to scammers and can be returned to anyone who donated.

  It’s a travesty that a family dealing with the loss of a child had to deal with such a disregard for human decency.

  Unfortunately, we don’t have a recommendation on how to keep scammers out of funeral. It seems like such a grim thought to think that a funeral might need security.

  ***