When a spouse, parent, sibling or close friend dies, it’s natural to want to tell that individual’s story — to share in obituaries what made the cherished person special and to swap memories on social media. But as you celebrate a loved one’s life and mourn his or her death, take care with what you share, because scammers are paying attention too.
Obituary scams, also known as bereavement scams, typically start with information gleaned from death notices in newspapers or posted online. Criminals harvest facts commonly included in obits — such as the deceased’s birth date, where the person lived and worked, and family members’ names — to start building a profile foridentity theft.
With just a few key details, criminals can locate and purchase a dead person’s personal data on the dark web, including home address and Social Security number. They use that information toaccess or create financial accounts, take out loans, obtain health care or filephony tax returns(and claim bogus refunds) under the deceased’s name — a form of ID theft dubbed ghosting.
Or they’ll weave what they’ve learned about a recent death intoimpostor scamstargeting a surviving spouse or other family member. Criminals posing as government officials, debt collectors or insurance agents try to pry loose more personal data about the deceased, or solicit payment for a supposedly unpaid bill, unclaimed benefit or lapsed policy.
Some bereavement scams are more involved, and they can get personal. Obit-scouring criminals pretend to be long-lost friends or relatives of the deceased, contacting surviving spouses out of the blue to commiserate and reminisce. These displays of simulated compassion can evolve intoromance scamsor attempts to defraud beneficiaries out of inheritance money.
FAQs
Online scammers have been exploiting grieving individuals with a pirate scam that uses AI to create fake obituary websites. These scammers target people searching for information about deceased loved ones.
What are the bereavement scams? ›
Death-Related Scams to be Aware of:
Promises of inheritance or insurance money that claim you need to pay a fee to receive it. Requests to access accounts of the deceased. Calls that say the deceased owed them money or inheritance taxes are due.
How do funeral scams work? ›
The scammers reach out to families pretending to be from funeral homes and demand more payment or threaten the cancellation of the funeral. It is easy to see how distraught loved ones might fall for such scams as they are already under immense stress from losing a loved one.
What information should never be included in an obituary? ›
When writing an obituary, leave out details that could be used for identity theft, such as the deceased's date and place of birth, middle name, maiden name and mother's maiden name. And don't include the deceased's home address.
What are obituary pirates? ›
Obituary pirates utilize digital marketing tactics, sometimes including misinformation and plagiarism, to generate revenue from the grief and curiosity of people learning about the death of a loved one.
Who are the most common victims of scams? ›
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), adults ages 18 to 59 are more likely to report losing money to scams, with online-shopping fraud, cryptocurrency investment scams and job scams being the most common.
How common are post bereavement hallucinations? ›
How common are grief hallucinations? Since the early 1970s, research has indicated that bereavement hallucinations are commonplace. Some of the most recent data, from 2015, indicates that as many as 60% of people who've lost their spouses report at least one grieving hallucinatory experience.
How to avoid funeral scams? ›
10 Tips to Protect Against Cemetery or Funeral Scams
- Shop around in advance. Compare prices from at least two funeral homes. ...
- Ask for a price list. ...
- Avoid Temptation. ...
- Avoid emotional overspending. ...
- Recognize your rights. ...
- Know the Rules. ...
- Read the Fine Print. ...
- Understand the Terms.
If you paid by card or PayPal
If you've paid for something you haven't received, you might be able to get your money back. Your card provider can ask the seller's bank to refund the money. This is known as the 'chargeback scheme'. If you paid by debit card, you can use chargeback however much you paid.
How do victims of scams feel? ›
Often when we talk about scams, we discuss them in financial terms and don't talk about the emotional impact they can have. But they can leave us feeling embarrassed, unsettled and unsafe, and have a lasting impact on our confidence. They can also leave us feeling unsure about who we can trust.
When you list the survivors, make sure that you list them in order of closest relation to the deceased: spouse, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, parents, and siblings. When you are listing a relative, make sure to include their first name, their spouse's first name in brackets and then their last name.
What should I exclude from an obituary? ›
Obituaries should not be written in the first person. This means you should not use "I" language. Remember that an obituary is not a personal tribute, like a sympathy card or condolence letter. You should also exclude personal addresses and phone numbers.
What not to say in an obituary? ›
Common Mistakes to Avoid when Writing an Obituary
- Avoid Making the Obituary About You. ...
- Don't Focus Just on Death. ...
- Listing People Who Were Appreciated. ...
- Avoid Clichés. ...
- Abbreviations. ...
- Don't Over Describe the Funeral.
Burial at sea is the disposal of human remains in the ocean, normally from a ship, boat or aircraft. It is regularly performed by navies, and is done by private citizens in many countries.
What was the most common cause of death for pirates? ›
However, swords, guns and cannonballs were not what sent most pirates to Davy Jones's locker (meaning, to their death). Instead, a pirate's greatest enemy was disease: food poisoning, malnutrition, infection. Here are a few of the conditions that the seafaring scoundrels had to contend with. -- Scurvy.
Is the bereavement register legitimate? ›
The Bereavement Register is a central database that effectively acts as the main register of deaths in the UK.
How to make a fake bereavement leave? ›
Call in to work.
- Say: “I've had a death in the family and you will need some time off.”
- Answer any questions your boss may have and keep it short. Stay consistent with the story you made up.
- Try to sound sad, and if you want, sniff and cough often to make it sound as though you've been crying.
The phone rings, and the caller claims to be a relative in some sort of distress. They've been in a car accident, or they've been arrested, and they need you to send money right away. Often the caller claims to be a grandchild, and a worried grandparent rushes to help.
What is the bereavement notification? ›
Tell us about a bereavement
The Death Notification Service is a free service. It lets you tell all the member organisations of a person's death, at the same time.
