An alert came through this morning from the International Cemetery, Cremation & Funeral Association (ICCFA) of a reprehensible new scam aimed at taking advantage of bereaved families.

Scammers have developed a scheme that specifically targets families in mourning who have recently arranged funeral and cemetery services. This heartless fraud involves monitoring recent obituaries, gleaning names of family members and the funeral home they used, and then making contact with the bereaved families.

These criminals then pose as an employee of the funeral home or cemetery mentioned in the obituary. Spoofing software is often used to make their phone number appear as if they are calling from a legitimate business. They reach out to the family under the guise of addressing an issue with the credit card used for payment or to request additional money to keep the funeral arrangements on schedule.

There have been reports from funeral homes to the ICCFA of this scam being deployed in Pennsylvania, California, and, most recently, Ohio. There was even a case where this happened twice to one funeral home, although, thankfully, the families contacted the funeral home and reported the issue to the credit card company after becoming suspicious.

To ensure you and your loved ones remain safe and secure, we would like to provide some helpful tips to avoid falling victim to such scams:

1. Confirm Independently: If you receive a call asking for additional payment or claiming a problem with your credit card, hang up and call back the funeral home on their official number to verify the claim. Mueller Memorial's number in St Paul is 651-774-9797 or 651-429-4944 in White Bear Lake.
2. Stay Private: Avoid sharing personal or financial information over the phone unless you've made the call to a number you know is trustworthy.
3. Be Wary of Urgency: Scammers often create a sense of urgency to pressure you into making a quick decision. Take your time, especially when it involves your finances.
4. Check Your Accounts Regularly: Regularly monitor your credit card and bank accounts for any unauthorized charges or suspicious activity.
5. Report Suspicious Activity: If you suspect a scam, report it to your funeral home, local law enforcement, and possibly your state's attorney general or the Federal Trade Commission.

We will do everything we can to look out for you and your family, but this heartless scam is specifically trying to exploit family members whose critical thinking may be clouded by grief. Together, we can prevent these scammers from taking advantage of your family at its most vulnerable moments.

Your peace of mind is our priority at Mueller Memorial.

Take care and stay safe,

The Mueller Memorial Team