Virginia AG Warns of Funeral Scams Targeting Grieving Families

Detected March 26th, 2026

Summary

The Virginia Attorney General's office has issued a warning to consumers about funeral scams targeting grieving families. Scam artists pose as funeral home staff to demand immediate or additional payments, threatening to cancel services. The notice provides tips to identify and avoid these scams and outlines how to report complaints.

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What changed

The Virginia Attorney General's office has issued a consumer alert warning residents about a specific type of scam targeting individuals who have recently lost loved ones. Scam artists are impersonating funeral home staff, contacting grieving families, and demanding immediate or additional payments under the threat of canceling funeral services. This notice aims to educate the public about the tactics used by these scammers, who obtain information from published obituaries.

Consumers are advised to resist pressure to act immediately, verify the identity of funeral home representatives by contacting the funeral home directly using a known, legitimate phone number, and be wary of payment methods demanded by potential scammers, such as wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or gift cards. The Attorney General's office encourages victims or those with concerns to contact their Consumer Protection Section via phone, email, or their online complaint and contact forms.

What to do next

Verify funeral home representative identity by calling the funeral home directly using a known number.
Do not make payments via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards to unknown individuals.
Report suspected scams to the Virginia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Section.

Source document (simplified)

News Releases

Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of the Attorney General

Jay Jones
Attorney General

202 North 9th Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
804-786-2071
FAX 804-786-1991
Virginia Relay Service
800-828-1120

For media inquiries only, contact:
Rae Pickett
RPickett@oag.state.va.us

Attorney General Jay Jones Warns Virginians About Scams Targeting Grieving Families

Attorney General Jones Cautions Virginians to Beware of Scam Artists Posing as Funeral Home Staff and Demanding Immediate or Additional Payments

Richmond, VA – As part of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General Jay Jones is warning Virginians who have recently lost loved ones or friends to watch out for scams taking advantage of them as they grieve.

“It’s hard to imagine anything worse than preying on a person who has just lost a beloved family member or loved one,” said Attorney General Jones. “Unfortunately, there are scam artists actively posing as funeral home staff and illegally demanding immediate or additional payments from grieving family members by claiming that the funeral will be canceled or other services will not be provided unless these payments are made immediately. I urge Virginians to learn more about these scams and their rights if they become victims of these scams.”

Virginians should understand that scammers obtain information about deceased persons, their family members, and the funeral homes providing services through published obituaries. They use this information to contact family members and pretend to be someone from the funeral home.

Here are some tips to recognize and avoid these scams:

Resist the pressure to act immediately. Legitimate businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
Contact the funeral home directly. Use a phone number that you know is real, not one you got from the scammer’s text, email, or phone call. If you do not know it, you should find it on the General Price List you got from the funeral home.
Know how scammers tell you to pay. Scammers want to get your money immediately, and in a way that makes it hard to track them down and hard for you to get your money back. Never pay someone who insists you pay with a wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
Virginians who have a question, concern, or complaint about a consumer matter should contact Attorney General Jones’ Consumer Protection Section:
By phone: (800)552-9963
By email: consumer@oag.state.va.us
Online Complaint Form
Online Contact Form