Scammers use obituaries, pose as funeral directors and prey on people who just lost loved ones

When you're dealing with a funeral and the loss of a loved one, it's already a tough time.

Now there's a new warning that you must watch out for scammers posing as funeral directors claiming they need additional payment to move forward with the funeral.

The Federal Trade Commission issued a fraud alert about this scam.

The scam starts with scammers going through obituaries and targeting family members. They call and threaten to cancel the planned funeral if they don't get the payment immediately.

One red flag is when the scammer demands payment through wire transfers, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.

Another red flag is when they make it appear urgent and you must act now. Instead, hang up the phone, and call the funeral home directly.

Don't get tricked if the caller-ID shows the actual funeral home as scammers can often manipulate it to appear to be a legit number.

The best way to protect yourself is never to respond to these calls, no matter how threatening and reach out to the funeral home yourself.

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