Finding perfect funeral homes Glenview, IL, is just the first part of dealing with your loved one’s death. We live in an unfair world where the bereaved are not saved from various scams. The stress and grief of losing a loved one are overwhelming and at a time when the bereaved are dealing with funeral arrangements, they are at the lowest point of making conscious decisions. Unfortunately, some immoral people try to take advantage of their vulnerability and entrap them in financial scams.

That’s why it is important to be well-aware of these scams that target surviving family members of the deceased. We are here with the five most common types of bereavement scams along with the tips to avoid them.

Medicare Scam

That’s the most common scam of which many innocents become victims. A family member gets a call supposedly from the Medicare insurance company or government representative, and the caller claims that the deceased’s Medicare insurance cards need to be updated – to mark him dead. To update the card, they claim to require personal information and elicit private information such as the decedent’s social security number and birth date.

This fishing scam tends to steal the identity of the deceased and can use the information to steal their credit cards or other financial assets.

TIP: The IRS categorically states that they don’t need any private information on call or through email. One should never give out any such information under any pretext.

Beware of Burglary

Many incidents of reported burglary in the deceased’s home were reported in many states during the funeral services. When the whole family is grieving the loss of a loved one and more involved in taking care of funeral arrangements, breaking into their homes becomes a relatively easy task.

TIP: The best way is to ask a family member to stay in the home or request a trusted neighbor to keep a vigilant eye while you’re at the funeral.

“IRS” Calls from Scammers

The scammers represent themselves as government representatives to feign legitimacy and claim the deceased owe tax money. They also adopt a rather aggressive tone and threaten legal actions if the surviving family doesn’t file the outstanding returns asap. Many people fall into this trap and end up paying money to the scammers.

These scammers use call and GPS spoofing to ensure Caller ID actually looks like originating from the IRS office.

TIP: The IRS has repeatedly stated that it doesn’t get information or ask for filing tax returns in this manner. If you get any call, text, or email from the IRS, just ignore it and don’t spill any information. Instead, you should report it to the IRS.

Fake Life Insurance Policy

Often, the immediate family member receives a fake call claiming that the deceased had a life insurance policy and you would be paid a huge amount of money. But, the last or two installments have been left, and to get the lump sum, you have to clear them. The scammer asks for money to be transferred via prepaid debit card or wire. The caller generally has some information about the deceased to manipulate the bereaving.

TIP: all such calls are fake and never give money or personal information on the phone. Ask the representative to come in-person along with the necessary paperwork or ask for their office where you could meet them after the funeral service.

Dealing with funeral homes Glenview, IL, is difficult enough without having to worry about being tricked.