A phone scam targeting recently bereaved families has been reported in New Jersey. Those operating the scam contact families posing as representatives from the funeral home and claim they need to verify financial information such as bank account numbers, insurance policies and public assistance details. Scammers are able to mask their phone number to make it appear as if the call is coming from the funeral home, a practice known as “spoofing.”

If you fear that you have been the target of such a scheme or receive a suspicious call from someone claiming to be from the funeral home or a government agency, hang up and dial the phone number for the funeral home listed on your paperwork or on our website. 

The Federal Trade Commission has a list of tops and resources for handling scam callers:

• Don’t answer calls from unknown numbers.
• If you answer a call and are prompted to hit a button to stop getting calls, just hang up.
• Do not respond to questions, especially “yes/ no” questions.
• If you receive an unexpected call or the caller sounds suspicious, never give out personal information such as account numbers, social security numbers, maiden names, passwords, etc.
• Be cautious of callers who pressure you for information.
• Set up passwords for your voicemail.
• Talk to your phone service provider about call blocking tools and report suspicious numbers to your company if you are using robocall-blocking technology
• Register your number on the Do Not Call list- legitimate telemarketers will not contact numbers on this list.

You can take action by reporting scam calls on the Federal Trade Commission’s website or by emailing the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs at AskConsumerAffairs@dca.lps.state.nj.us.