3 Scams You Should Be Aware Of If You Suffered The Loss Of A Loved One

Losing a loved one is a crisis none of us wants in our life but will have to face one day. We are emotionally vulnerable and not in our rational minds when we suffer such a loss and there are despicable people who wait for such vulnerable people. Here are some scams that people who are grieving often face, as funeral directors in Miami, FL will warn you about.

Insurance scam

This is the most common obituary scam as reported by Federal Trade Commission. Scammers pose as an insurance agent and tell the bereaved family that their departed relative had life insurance and that they need to pay the owed amount to claim the insurance.

How to know that it is a fraud call

• The caller will call from a masked number.

• They will pressure you to immediately settle the money through wire transfer, gift card, and other such options.

• They will evade answering probing questions or will get increasingly menacing if you ask for more information.

What to do in such cases

• First of all, though it is a time when you are emotionally vulnerable, always keep in mind that no insurance company will ask for due money in form of a gift card or such payment options. If you can’t handle the call yourself, it is best to pass it to a family member who is steadier in nature.

• Next, always ask for information or ask to call back later and never pay anything until you have checked with the paper works left by the deceased family member. Call up the insurance company to double-check if it was a genuine call or not.

• Report the call if the caller resort to threats and other such verbal abuse. You can always record the call once you think that it sounds like a fraud call.

FEMA scams

This scam has started since the pandemic started and many people have fallen for it. In it, family members of the deceased who died due to COVID get calls from fraudsters claiming to be from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and tell them that you are entitled to funeral expenses as a victim of COVID and all they need is your information to “register” you. Or they will want to sell you testing kits, virus remedies and other such things.

What to do in such cases

• Always remember FEMA will never call you unless you have registered for any program under them.

• FEMA will not sell you “virus-related” cures or kits.

• Never give personal information over the phone unless you verify the caller.

Identity theft

This is perhaps the most dangerous obituary scam that can last long. Every time it happens, the grieving family has to go through fresh trauma and relive their loss over and over again. In this, fraudsters glean information like birth date, place of work, family member’s name from the obituary posted and then buy the deceased’s social security number, home address and other details from the dark web. This information is then used for opening fraudulent bank accounts or taking loans and other such financial transactions.

How to prevent it

• Report the death of your loved one as soon as possible to Social Security.

• Send a death certificate copy to IRS and banks where your loved one had an account so that they can tag the related accounts as deceased.

• Also, notify major credit bureaus so that the related Social Security number can be tagged as deceased.

• Don’t give too much personal information in the obituary you posted. Ask funeral directors in Miami, FL to write one for youa that helps you to avoid such frauds.

So, these are some of the scams you may face as a bereaved family. Just keep your calm for a few minutes and you can avoid more grief and financial loss during these tiring times.