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August 12, 2023 | 1:57 p.m
Lisa Ann Moto of Florida lost her husband, Doug, in July. The next day, she is almost the victim of a phone scam targeting family members planning the funerals.
Facebook/Lisa Ann Logo
Phone scammers have reached a new low – targeting family members planning funerals for their loved ones.
Scammers will contact families and say they are from the funeral home and threaten to cancel services or cremate the corpse if they do not make an immediate deposit.
“If there ever was a cheaters’ hall of infamy, this would be a top 10 list, without a doubt,” Federal Trade Commission wrote in a postdescribing it as “vile”.
The scam begins by scanning recent obituaries to identify families and find other details they need, such as the name of the funeral home and even the directors.
Scammers have a few different lines. Some tell the family there was a problem with their credit card or they need extra money for arrangements to stay on schedule, according to the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association.
Others say to tell the victim that the services will be canceled if they don’t send the money, or try to convince them that they pay for insurance to cover the services in case something happens.
The trade group says it recently heard about the scam in California, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The scammers also hit Florida.
Lisa Ann Muto lost her husband of 22 years to lung cancer in July.
The next day, Bonita Springs’ widow receives an “urgent” call from a man who says she needs to send $5,000 — or a $2,500 down payment — through Zelle or Apple Pay for “insurance purposes” related to the cremation, she told NBC News.
“They catch you at such a vulnerable moment,” Motto said. “There is a special place in hell for people like that.”
The funeral home that handled her husband’s services is working with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Myers to investigate the incident, Posted on Facebook.
The FTC offers several tips for spotting and avoiding fraud.
Resist the pressure to act immediately, the agency advises, adding that honest companies will be given time to make decisions.
Never pay with wire transfer, cryptocurrency or checks, she says.
Families should contact funeral homes directly with numbers from the websites.
Fraud can be reported to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
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