Obituary scams are a type of fraud that targets the grieving families of recently deceased seniors. Scammers will often read obituaries in newspapers or online, and then contact the family of the deceased, claiming to be a debt collector, government official, or other legitimate entity. They will then demand payment for a supposed outstanding debt, or they will try to obtain personal information about the deceased.
There are a few different variations of the obituary scam. In one common variation, the scammer will call the family of the deceased and claim that the deceased had an outstanding debt with them. They will then demand payment for the debt, often in the form of a wire transfer or a gift card.
In another variation of the scam, the scammer will contact the family of the deceased and claim to be a government official. They will then say that the deceased owed money to the government, and that they need to pay the debt immediately. In some cases, the scammer will even provide a fake government badge or identification number to make their story seem more believable.
Scammers may also try to obtain personal information about the deceased, such as their Social Security number or bank account information. They can then use this information to commit identity theft or other types of fraud.
There are a few things that you can do to protect yourself from obituary scams. First, be wary of any unsolicited calls or emails from people who claim to be debt collectors or government officials. If you receive a call or email from someone who claims to be from one of these organizations, hang up the phone or delete the email. Do not give out any personal information, such as your Social Security number or bank account information.
Second, be careful about the information that you include in obituaries. If you include your contact information in an obituary, scammers may use it to contact you and try to scam you. You may want to consider omitting your contact information from obituaries.
Finally, if you do receive a call or email from someone who claims to be from a government agency or debt collection agency, you can verify their identity by calling the agency or company directly. You can find the contact information for most government agencies and debt collection agencies on their websites.
If you think that you may have been the victim of an obituary scam, you should report it to the police. You should also contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at ftc.gov/complaint.
Here are some additional tips to help you avoid obituary scams:
- Do not give out any personal information over the phone, especially to someone you do not know.
- Be suspicious of any unsolicited calls or emails from people who claim to be debt collectors or government officials.
- Verify the identity of anyone who calls you and claims to be from a government agency or debt collection agency by calling the agency or company directly.
- Do not pay any money to someone who claims to be a debt collector or government official unless you are sure that they are legitimate.
