After a loss
Scams that target grieving families
Obituaries give scammers names, dates and a family that's distracted.
Scammers often watch obituaries and funeral listings. A family in the first weeks after a death is busy, tired and more likely to pay a bill without checking it.
Common ones
| Scam | How it usually works |
|---|---|
| Fake debts | A caller says the person owed money and the family has to pay now. |
| Funeral home impersonation | A call or email asks for payment to a new account "to avoid delaying the service." |
| Funeral livestream links | Fake social media posts offer a stream of the service, then ask for card details. |
| Benefit offers | Promises of large payments, like a $25,000 veterans burial benefit, which doesn't exist. |
| Identity theft | Someone opens accounts in the dead person's name. |
| Quick house offers | Buyers push for a fast sale below value. |
What families often do
- Call the funeral home back on a number they already have before paying anything new
- Share a livestream link only privately with family
- Leave the home address and full birth date out of the obituary
- Ask the credit bureaus to mark the person's credit file as deceased, so new credit can't be opened in their name
- Report scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Good to know
Real organizations rarely demand payment the same day. Urgency is a common sign of a scam.