Last summer we alerted you to a scam targeting families you may have served recently. Unfortunately, the scam continues to spread throughout the country. 

Using recently published obituaries, the scammer, posing as a member of you staff, calls families and tells them they owe another $1,000 (or some other amount) for the service. The scammers get very specific, using the name of the decedent, the funeral home name and even the names of specific funeral directors. 

Some families that have been contacted realized something didn't seem right and hung up on the scammer, later calling the funeral home directly to confirm their bill was paid in full. Unfortunately, others didn't realize they were being targeted and sent money to the scammer. 

In a twist on this scam, predators are also contacting families to say that a "security deposit" of $1,500 (or some other amount) is needed for their preneed account. The scammers threaten that if the deposit isn't paid immediately, the funeral home cannot guarantee that the service will take place.  

You may wish to alert families you have served - and are serving - to these scams and remind them of your billing practices. 

The FTC has shared tips to help protect consumers from this scam:: 

• Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
• Contact the funeral home directly. Use a phone number that you know is real, not one you got from the scammer’s text, email, or phone call.  If you don’t know it, you’ll find it on the General Price List you got from the funeral home.
• Know how scammers tell you to pay. Scammers want to get your money immediately, and in a way that makes it hard to track them down and hard for you to get your money back. Never pay someone who insists you pay with a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.