There continues to be a scam that targets consumers of funeral and cemetery services. This unfortunate scam targets families that have recently lost a loved one and planned funeral services. The scammer looks at recent obituaries and then pulls names to contact. The scammer then calls the family and falsely purports to be an employee of the funeral home or cemetery which they just found from the obit. The scammers can also use spoofing software so the number they are calling from appears to be a legitimate business number. They tell the family that there was a problem with their credit card or simply need additional money for the funeral arrangements to stay on schedule. The family then gives the scammer, believing they are from the funeral home or cemetery, the requested information.
We have been notified from members in Pennsylvania, California, and most recently Ohio of this scam and families they have served being victims. One ICCFA member had it happen twice, but luckily the family called afterwards to notify and ask a question, and they were able to contact the credit card company to report the issue.
Please be aware of this potential scam and let the families you serve know your process and not to provide credit card information to anyone over the phone.
