A despicable scam

I have been part of hundreds of funeral services during my lifetime and career. It is almost always a very traumatic event for a family even in those where death was expected. It is a time when many individuals are weary, grieving, and vulnerable.

A few days ago, I was with such a family as we were discussing plans for the funeral the next day. The telephone rang and the woman, one of the three adult children of the deceased 92-year-old woman, said, “It’s the funeral home. I need to take this.” She stepped away from the table and returned several moments later. She looked upset.

One of her brothers said, “Who was that?” She said it’s the funeral home. They said that we hadn’t paid the fee for the liability insurance, and we can’t have the funeral until we do. My ears perked up. In the fifty plus years I have been part of those hundreds of funerals, I had never heard of such a thing. The speaker phone was turned on so that the whole family was listening — including me, of course.

The man identified himself as from the financial office of said funeral home and said that the fee needed to be paid that day or there could be no funeral the next day. One of the brothers said that they would drop me a check off later in the day. That wouldn’t work, the financial guy said as he had to go to one of the funerals and would be back until after the office closed. When asked how much the fee was, he replied that it would be $800.

One of the brothers pulled a credit card out of his wallet and started to hand it to his sister, saying, “Just put it on this.” At that, I suggested that it might be a scam. He looked at me for a few seconds and said to the guy on the phone, “We’ll call you back,” and had his sister end the call.

Immediately he called the funeral home whose number he had called earlier. A man answered and the two immediately recognized each other. It was indeed a scam, one that had been perpetuated on several grieving families.

The husband of the woman who died and their three children, two men and a woman, are some of the finest people anywhere. They are all savvy about the world, yet, in a moment of grief, some low-life dirtbag tried to con them out of $800. The funeral home was aware of this scam in the past and thought they had stopped it. Somehow the caller ID had the name of the funeral home, prompting the family to believe it was a legitimate call.

I really don’t know how low a person can get who would do this to a family. Basically, he said, “If you don’t pay now, you can’t have the funeral tomorrow.” Believing the man to be legit, they almost paid him. What a vile, despicable, heartless, and perverted man this was and is. Fortunately, the family did the right thing by calling the funeral home directly and avoiding the scam. But how many fell prey to this predator?

How did the scammer choose this family? Why, they read the obituary of course. How did they get the woman’s cell phone number? Unknown. Be aware and beware. People like this are everywhere seeking to enrich themselves at your pain and expense. In my opinion, there’s no jail sentence too long or a hell too hot for such vultures.

[David Epps is the Rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King (www.ctk.life). Worship services are on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. and on livestream at www.ctk.life. He is the bishop of the Diocese of the Mid-South (www.midsouthdiocese.life). He has been a weekly opinion columnist for The Citizen for over 27 years. He may be contacted at [email protected].]