Grieving Loved Ones Targeted in Obituary Scams (2024)

FAQs

Grieving Loved Ones Targeted in Obituary Scams? ›

As if scammers couldn't sink any lower, there's a new online scam taking advantage of grieving people. It's a strange pirate scam that uses AI to scrape data to build fake obituary websites, exploiting the information of somebody who is deceased in an attempt to scam vulnerable victims.

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.

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.

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.

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.

35- to 44-year-olds were most likely to be exposed to and lose money from scams. However, median losses were highest for 18- to 24-year-olds at $155 per scam that resulted in a monetary loss.

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.

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.

The person who was scammed may feel like a complete failure in life after they realize what has happened. She loses sight of the fact that although the consequences may be harsh, it is not a statement about who she is as a person, or how smart she is or isn't.

What is the proper way to list family members in an obituary? ›

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.

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.

Avoid Clichés

Some clichés that are often included in obituaries are, “After a long/courageous battle…” or “Only saw the best in people…” or “Will be missed…” Try to express your thoughts creatively to convey your message. This will help others understand how unique the life of your loved one was.

There are several types of obituary theft. The first is fairly straightforward. The criminals note the address and the date and time of the funeral or memorial service. Then, while all of the family is out of the house attending the services, they sneak in and steal whatever they can get their hands on.

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.

However, swords, guns, and cannon balls were not what sent most seafaring scoundrels to Davey Jones' locker. Instead, a pirate's greatest enemy was disease: food poisoning, malnutrition, and infection.

A deceased person's details can be registered and their information will be entered into a bank of data. Organisations who wish to check their mailing lists against the Bereavement Register are able to identify any matches and are then obliged by law to remove these records from future mailings.

Fraudsters pose as a grandchild or family member, either by name (names of family members can often be found online or on social media) or by starting the conversation with, “It's me, Grandpa!” in hopes that the victim will say the grandchild's name. Next, they make up elaborate stories and claim they're in trouble.

While federal law doesn't require employers to provide bereavement leave, most \offer it to support their employees' mental and emotional well-being and work-life balance. Bereavement leave length varies from company to company, with most employers providing three to five days per loss of a loved one.