{"id":1319,"date":"2025-04-19T02:21:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-19T02:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging8.dynaserverx.com\/newenglandtrust.com\/?post_type=newsletter&#038;p=1319"},"modified":"2025-04-19T02:22:20","modified_gmt":"2025-04-19T02:22:20","slug":"after-the-loss-of-a-loved-one-watch-out-for-scams","status":"publish","type":"newsletter","link":"https:\/\/staging8.dynaserverx.com\/newenglandtrust.com\/newsletter\/after-the-loss-of-a-loved-one-watch-out-for-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"After the Loss of a Loved One, Watch Out for Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A common scam after the loss of a loved one, often referred to as \u201cghosting,\u201d is when an identity thief uses personal information obtained from an obituary to assume the identity of a deceased individual. That information is then used to access or open financial accounts, take out loans, and file fraudulent tax returns to collect refunds. Typically, a ghosting scam will occur shortly after someone\u2019s death \u2014 before it has even been reported to banks, credit reporting agencies, or government organizations such as the Social Security Administration (SSA) or Internal Revenue Service (IRS).<\/p>\n<p>Another scam involves scam artists using information from an obituary to pass themselves off as a friend or associate of the deceased \u2014 sometimes referred to as a \u201cbereavement\u201d or \u201cimposter\u201d scam. These individuals will falsely claim a personal or financial relationship with the deceased in order to scam money from grieving loved ones. Scam artists will also pose as government officials or debt collectors falsely seeking payment for a deceased individual\u2019s unpaid bill.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1321 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/staging8.dynaserverx.com\/newenglandtrust.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/WA_24084_After-the-Loss-of-a-Loved-One-CHART.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"80\" height=\"61\" \/>Individuals lost $10 billion to scams in 2023.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Source: Federal Trade Commission, 2024<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>If you recently experienced the loss of a loved one, consider the following tips to help reduce the risk of scams:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Report the death to the SSA and IRS as soon as possible.<\/li>\n<li>Notify banks and other financial institutions that the account holder is deceased.<\/li>\n<li>Contact your state\u2019s department of motor vehicles and ask them to cancel the deceased\u2019s driver\u2019s license.<\/li>\n<li>Ask the major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to put a \u201cdeceased alert\u201d on the deceased person\u2019s credit reports and monitor them for unusual activity.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid putting too much personal information in an obituary, such as a birth date, place of birth, address, or mother\u2019s maiden name.<\/li>\n<li>Be wary of individuals who try to coerce or pressure you over alleged debts owed by the deceased.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This information is not intended as tax, legal, investment, or retirement advice or recommendations, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. You are encouraged to seek guidance from an independent tax or legal professional. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. This material was written and prepared by Broadridge Advisor Solutions. \u00a9 2024 Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1320,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"newsletter-category":[29],"class_list":["post-1319","newsletter","type-newsletter","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","newsletter-category-august"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>After the Loss of a Loved One, Watch Out for Scams - New England Trust<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In Evanston, IL, Robard Flaremoor offers Financial Planning Services &amp; Financial Advice. \u2018Financial Services\u2019 from College Funding to Wealth Protection. \u2018Tax Services\u2019 include Tax Preparation, Tax Reduction, and Tax Management\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/staging8.dynaserverx.com\/newenglandtrust.com\/newsletter\/after-the-loss-of-a-loved-one-watch-out-for-scams\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After the Loss of a Loved One, Watch Out for Scams - 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