Death and Scams
It is not uncommon after funerals at funeral homes in Syracuse, NY for you to be the target of scammers who are trying to take unfair advantage of your grief and your loss. With the death of a loved one, you may become the target of a variety of different types of scams.
One very common type of scam is related to life insurance. You may be contacted by phone or through email with a message saying that your loved one had a life insurance policy, but that the payments are not up to date.
The message will then say that in order to get the insurance policy payout, you will need to bring the policy payments up to date. The payment methods these scammers will ask for may be money transferred to a prepaid debit card or money wired into a bank account.
Insurance companies that hold legitimate life insurance policies will never ask for payments nor will they ask you to give any sensitive information by email or by phone. If you receive a request like this, do not give any information and report it to local authorities.
Another common scam after the death of your loved one is a phone call from someone claiming to work for the IRS. The scammer will tell you that your loved one underpaid their taxes and owes money to the IRS. They will often threaten you with legal action if the money is not paid immediately.
The IRS always provides information about taxes owed in writing, never by phone. Do not pay anything over the phone to anyone claiming to be with the IRS.
Identity theft scams are also common after the death of your loved one. Since many obituaries give more information about deceased people than they should, including date of birth and street address, identity thieves need just one more piece of information, in most cases, to steal your deceased loved one’s identity.
To get this critical piece of information – your deceased loved one’s social security number – they may tell you that your deceased loved one’s Medicare information is out of date and needs to be updated. They will ask you to verify their Social Security number and their date of birth.
Medicare cards – and Social Security information, for that matter – never need to be updated. Additionally, the Social Security Administration will never call and ask for sensitive information over the phone. Like the IRS, any communication the Social Security Administration has with you will be done in writing.
Sometimes, death scammers will pretend to be collection agencies seeking payments on overdue debts. Do not pay anything. Gather all your deceased loved one’s financial information, including credit card statements, to determine what, if any balances are owed on them. For credit cards that are paid up and that were in your deceased loved one’s name only, you should cancel them immediately.
For credit cards that still have a balance owed, consult your attorney. In some cases, you may not be responsible for outstanding debts owed by your loved one.
A final type of scam that you may experience after your loved one’s death is a person or people who stop by your home and claim that your loved one promised them property after their death. This might be a vehicle, furniture, equipment, or even land.
Do not give anyone anything. If you’re the executor of your loved one’s will, then you can distribute their assets and property as instructed in the will. Seek legal counsel for any claims outside the terms of the will and let your attorneys handle these undocumented claims.
For information about funerals at funeral homes in Syracuse, NY, our compassionate and experienced team at Bagozzi Twins Funeral Home, Inc. is here to help you.
