Scammers are posing as funeral home workers to defraud grieving families. Can it go any lower?

A new scheme involves imposters scamming people grieving the loss of a loved one. The imposter pretended to be someone from the funeral home and said the funeral would be canceled unless the family immediately paid more. Can you imagine anything more despicable? That’s why we’re reminding members of the funeral industry to be wary of this scam and hope other businesses will also warn their employees and community residents.

If there was a scammers hall of shame, this man would undoubtedly be in the top ten. Here’s how to spot and avoid this scam:

Resist the pressure to take immediate action. An honest business will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who forces you to pay or provide them with your personal information is a scammer.

Contact the funeral home directly. Use a real phone number that you know, not one you got from a scammer’s text, email, or phone call. If you don’t know it, you can find it on the master price list you get from the funeral home.

Learn how scammers tell you to pay. Scammers want to take your money immediately, in a way that makes it difficult to track them down and make it difficult for you to get your money back.never pay someone persist in You can pay via wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift card. Never deposit a check and send the money back to someone.

If someone is trying to defraud you, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.