Shameless Scammers Target the Bereaved
Wells Funeral Services
Bereaved families face being caught out by a cunning new scam, where criminal gangs steal the identities of legitimate firms and demand money from people who have died.
Fraudsters are sending letters to grieving family members as they tie up loose ends such as paying outstanding bills, dividing up possessions and signing official paperwork, lawyers have warned.
The letters typically request the payments of relatively small amounts of several hundreds of pounds so the demands seem more reasonable and have more chance of duping unsuspecting victims.
It comes amid a surge in fraud reports, with scams soaring since the pandemic began. Victims lost close to £1bn in the first half of this year alone – up by close to a third on the same period last year, according to the banking trade body UK Finance.
One scam letter sent out to a family requested a sham debt of £420 be settled. The fraudsters were posing as solicitors Consumer Rights Solicitors, a legitimate practice. The firm has been writing to those targeted by the scam warning them not to pay, saying “the letter has not been generated by our company and is fraudulent… we will not be chasing you for any money.”
Ian Bond, of law firm Thursfields, said he had also seen the con “doing the rounds”, with fraudsters taking advantage of the high coronavirus death toll.
“The fake claim targets the executors of a deceased estate and comes in towards the end of the claim period; small enough to hope to get through without anyone checking and reliant on the executors wanting to do ‘the right thing’ and pay off the deceased’s debts,” he said.
“When fulfilling the obligation to pay the deceased’s debts they should check that the debt is actually genuine before they pay it and double check the payment details to ensure if the debt is genuine that the payment is going to the right place.”
Conall Ryan, of law firm Gilbert Stephens, said lay executors, who are often adult children appointed by their parents in wills, or family friends, were more at risk of being caught out.
“It is quite clever as almost all deaths are recorded in local Gazettes. This is common advice given to families who have lost a loved one as it advertises the death to give companies where the deceased had credit or debts the opportunity to come forward and settle everything.
“So the scammers have a constantly updating database of victims to target and their contact details are there in print,” he said.
Our Advice: Always think twice before responding to any demands for money, even if they seem polite and official. Phone the company involved (find their contact details on the internet - don’t use those provided in the letter) and ask someone to explain the charges to you. Any scam should soon become apparent.