Criminals Pose as Funeral Home Employees to Steal from Grieving Families

Bereavement scammers use information in obituaries and online to prey on people when they are at their most vulnerable

Jessica McMaster,

AARP

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Published February 11, 2026

a funeral wreath with a large price tag attached. the price on the tag is blurred out to signify funeral scams

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A California family recently called Bradley Simpson, owner of Simpson Funeral Home and Crematory in Roanoke, Virginia, who was handling their loved one’s funeral arrangements, to give him a payment update: “We spoke to your employee, Craig, and sent him the money,” they told him.

Simpson’s heart sank. He didn’t have an employee named Craig.

He found himself having to inform yet another grieving family that the money ($2,000, in this case) they’d paid was now in the hands of a scammer.

It's an example of one of the most common bereavement scams, where criminals impersonate funeral home employees to steal money or personal information from families in mourning.

Unfortunately, many funeral home directors can offer a long list of clients who’ve had experiences like the one described above. Simpson, in fact, says that within days of that incident, another client reached out with a similar story. This time, the scammer, again posing as a representative from Simpson’s funeral home, threatened to turn over the remains of their loved one to the state unless a deposit was paid immediately — a tactic Simpson says his business would never employ.

This case had a better ending, however: The panicked client gave the criminal his credit card information, but immediately realized something was wrong, Simpson says, and “instantly hung up and canceled the card.”

Dr. Christopher C. Carter Sr., owner of the C.C. Carter Funeral Home Inc. in Newport News, Virginia, hears similar stories from his clients. “There’s a special place in hell for people like this,” he says of the perpetrators. “To do something like that at the most vulnerable time — to try and take advantage of people — is sickening.”

As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) notes on its blog, “If there was a Scammers Hall of Shame, this one would make the Top 10 List, without question.”

How bereavement scams work

Bereavement scams often start with criminals scouring death notices found in newspapers or posted online, including on the websites of funeral homes. According to the International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association (ICCFA), the impostors look at recent obituaries and then pull names to contact for their various schemes.

Impostor scams: “The scammer ... calls the family and falsely purports to be an employee of the funeral home or cemetery, which they found from the obit,” ICCFA wrote in a recent alert. “They tell the family that there was a problem with their credit card or simply need additional money for the funeral arrangements to stay on schedule.”

Identity theft: Obituaries can also be used by criminals to locate and purchase a dead person’s personal data on the dark web, including home addresses and Social Security numbers. They use that information to access or create financial accounts, take out loans, obtain health care, or file phony tax returns under the deceased’s name — a form of ID theft dubbed “ghosting.”

Romance scams: Some bereavement scams are even more elaborate and personalized, with impostors pretending to be long-lost friends or relatives of the deceased reaching out online to family members to commiserate and reminisce. Or they will pose as caring strangers offering sympathy and support, and slowly build a relationship with the victim. This can evolve into a romance scam, with the criminal aiming to steal the victim’s inheritance money.

Psychic scams: Some scammers even pose as psychics or spiritual advisers, draining money from grieving people by promising to use supernatural means to ease their loss.

Billions lost to impostor scams

Impostor scams are consistently one of the top three types of fraud reported to the FTC, with reported losses in this category hitting nearly $3 billion in 2024. The median reported loss for impostor scams is $800, but because scams are notoriously underreported, the actual losses are likely much higher.

While people of all ages report losses to impostor scams, older adults are far more likely to lose tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. The combined losses reported by older adults who lost more than $100,000 increased eightfold from $55 million in 2020to $445 million in 2024, according to the FTC.

How to avoid bereavement scams

If your funeral home calls demanding money, hang up and call the business directly. “Realize that your funeral director is your resource,” says Walker Posey, spokesperson for the National Funeral Directors Association. “If there’s ever a situation where your gut says something is off, talk directly to the funeral home,” Posey says.

Resist the pressure to act immediately. An honest business will allow you time to decide. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
Never pay someone who requests payment through wire transfer, cryptocurrency or a gift card. Scammers want to get your money immediately, and in a way that makes it hard to track.

How to avoid identity theft after a loved one dies

Report a loved one’s death to Social Security as soon as possible by calling 800-772-1213.
Send a copy of the death certificate to the IRS so that officials can flag the deceased’s tax account.
Notify banks and other financial institutions that the late loved one used. If you close accounts, ask that they be listed as “Closed: Account holder is deceased.”
Notify the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) so that they can place a death notice in the deceased’s credit file. This should prevent fraudulent applications for credit from being approved.
Get a copy of the deceased’s credit report right after death and a few months later, to check for fraudulent activity.
Be wary of “long-lost” relatives or friends of the deceased who contact you (especially on social media) and raise financial issues or attempt to forge a relationship. Ask family and old friends if they know or recall the person.
When writing an obituary, leave out details that could be used for identity theft, such as the deceased’s date and place of birth, middle name, maiden name and mother’s maiden name. And don’t include the deceased’s home address. If the obituary also notes the date and time of the funeral, burglars can break into the presumably empty house during the service.
Don’t let a debt collector scare you into paying financial obligations for a late spouse, parent or sibling. Generally, the estate is liable for any debts, not the survivors. There are some exceptions for cosigned loans and jointly held financial accounts and under community-property rules in some states; the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has more information.

Reporting fraud

Report bereavement scams or the theft of a deceased person’s identity to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov or 877-382-4357. If the fraud was perpetrated online, report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). (Find out more about how, where and why to report fraud here.)

Call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 for answers to questions about fraud and free assistance and support following a scam. The AARP Fraud Watch Network also offers free and confidential virtual support groups for fraud victims.

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