The scams that target the recently bereaved
Obituary fraud, fake debt collection, and identity theft spike in the weeks after a death. Here is what to watch for.
6 min read
The weeks after a death are unfortunately a high-risk period for fraud. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center has documented a steady rise in scams that pull personal information from obituaries to target families (Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI], 2023).
Common patterns
“Ghost debt” calls demand payment for vague, old debts and pressure the surviving spouse to pay personally. Imposter calls pose as Social Security, Medicare, or the IRS and threaten benefit suspension. Fake life insurance “locator” services charge fees for information that is free from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (Federal Trade Commission [FTC], 2023; National Association of Insurance Commissioners, 2023).
How to protect yourself
Never give personal information to an inbound caller, even one who appears to know details about your loved one. Verify by hanging up and calling the agency directly using a number from its official website. Place a deceased indicator with the three credit bureaus quickly. Limit the personal details published in obituaries; full date of birth, mother’s maiden name, and home address are useful primarily to identity thieves (FTC, 2023).
Where to report
Report suspected scams to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2023).
Lock things down quickly
NextStep includes step-by-step letters and links for the three credit bureaus and major agencies, so this gets done in days, not weeks.