Attorney General warns people about “obituary pirates”

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS)– Attorney General Dana Nessel warns people of ‘obituary pirates’ during National Consumer Protection Week.

Recently, an article published by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), says posting online about death notices with heavy personal information attached, could put the deceased person, as well as their survivors, at risk for fraudsters and opportunists.

Victims of an obituary scam are targeted because they are emotionally vulnerable to their grief of losing a loved one. In this case, the individuals who are affected are more than likely to not monitor accounts for unauthorized activity.

Criminals can take information shared online and easily obtain addresses, loans, and health insurance, social security numbers, and file false tax returns on the dark web.

“It is almost beyond belief that there are people who are so unethical that they would exploit another’s loss for profit,” Attorney General Nessel said.

“Because these individuals do exist, we need to be mindful that the impulse to share special traits about a deceased loved one online can open up avenues for deception and scams. My office is prepared to prosecute fraudsters and offer helpful resources to their victims.”

Families are urged to refrain from oversharing information about deceased loved ones’ and share obituaries as soon as possible to avoid having a fake one confused for the real thing.

Anyone whose deceased loved one has been the target of obituary pirates or fraud can contact the Department of Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Team and call (517) 335-7599.

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