Obituary frauds typically involve a criminal taking information from legitimate sites. Then, they re-post it on a website selling memorial products where they can steal credit card and personal information. The fraud can get even more insidious.
“They ask for contributions that they claim will be made to the funeral when actually just goes to them.”
Phil Douma is the Executive Director of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association. He says these types of scams are a growing concern for funeral directors trying to protect vulnerable families.
“It’s sad to have to advise families to Google their loved ones names to ensure there aren’t fake obituaries of their loved ones online.”
This week Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued a warning about obituary pirates, urging families to be careful about sharing too many personal details that scammers might exploit for their own gain.
She advises survivors keep a close eye on bills and credit card activity in the days after a funeral to catch any irregularities quickly. Douma says mourners also need to be careful.
“Just be aware obituary piracy is an issue and to advise anyone to get information from the funeral homes’ websites or that of a legitimate news organization and not other sites that may pop up on an internet search.”
