BREMEN, Ga. — A west Georgia funeral home is warning the public after they say con artists are targeting families who made final arrangements for their loved ones.
The Hightower Funeral Home in Bremen told Channel 2’s Tom Regan that people are calling grieving families and posing as funeral home employees to ask for phony fees.
Funeral Home Director Jacquelyn Hightower McKinzie says each week about six of their client families get calls from someone claiming to be part of the funeral home and asking for unpaid fees.
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“The most recent family was taken for a little over $1,000,” McKinzie said. “It’s disgusting for people to prey on grieving families.
She says these con artists are scouring online obituaries, checking the names of surviving loved ones and finding their phone numbers.
Some of the con artists have even posed as her father, Bill Hightower, the owner of the funeral home.
“Hey, this is Bill Hightower calling from the Hightower Funeral Home. Please give us a call back,” one con artist said in a voicemail left on someone’s phone.
“That’s not my dad. The guy’s putting on a phony southern accent," McKinzie said.
One victim was taken for $6,000, but the credit card company was able to cover the loss.
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Last year, Channel 2 Action News spoke with Scott Jacobson, who was conned out of $9,000 by someone pretending to work for a funeral home.
“Instead of planning my funeral speech, I’m busy calling Capital One,” Jacobson said.
The head of the Georgia Funeral Directors Association says fraud against funeral home clients is running rampant statewide.
“We have sent out, as the GFDA, warning to families, warnings from funeral homes," they said.
The Hightower Funeral Home gives client families in-depth warnings ahead of time to help avoid them becoming a victim.
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