Scam Alert List
Stay Alert and Protect Yourself from Scams
It’s important to be cautious when dealing with potential buyers for your cemetery property.Below are key tips to help you identify and avoid scams:
Warning Signs of a Scam
- 1. Offer a cemetery plot visit
- If a buyer is in the same state they should be interested in visiting the plot site.
- 2. Lack of Courtesy
- After speaking with a potential buyer here on the site you may feel comfortable giving out your email and phone number.
- Verify their phone number to ensure it is from the same state or area as your cemetery.
- 3. Voicemail and Verification
- If you don’t recognize the phone number, let the call go to voicemail. Legitimate buyers will leave a detailed message explaining their interest.
- Research the caller’s phone number using Google or another browser before responding.
- 4. Out-of-Area Numbers
- Phone numbers from outside the state or area might belong to someone assisting family members during a difficult time (e.g., a recent or pending death).
- Genuine callers will openly share this information. If they do not, exercise caution.
- 5. Scam Alert List
- Cross-check the phone number or name of the caller against our Scam Alert List to ensure they are legitimate.
- 6. Payment options
- If a buyer wants to pay by check, that is a sign that they might be a scammer. A scammer will often pay by check and ask you to release ownership when you receive the check. Then when you go to cash the check it is no good. For this reason we don't have payment by check as an option.
- If a buyer wants to pay by cashier check, still be cautious. in many cases you can contact the issuing bank to verify a cashier's check, but there are important limitations. Here's how it generally works: You can call the issuing bank using a phone number you obtain independently (for example, from the bank's official website), not a number printed on the check, since counterfeit checks may include fake contact information. The bank may be willing to verify that: The cashier's check number exists. The check was issued by that bank. The amount matches their records. Many banks will not confirm whether the funds are still available or whether the check has already been deposited, stopped, or canceled. Their policies vary, and privacy concerns often limit what they disclose. If all you have is a photograph of the cashier's check, the bank may: Ask for the check number, amount, issue date, and purchaser's name (if visible). Be unable or unwilling to verify authenticity based only on a photo. Require the physical check to be presented before making any guarantees. Important caveat Even if a bank confirms that a cashier's check was legitimately issued, that does not necessarily mean the check is safe to accept. Fraudsters sometimes: Alter a genuine cashier's check. Create convincing counterfeits using information copied from a real check. Send a photo of a legitimate check but never deliver the original. Banks generally require the original physical cashier's check for deposit. If you're accepting a cashier's check for a sale the safest approach is to: Meet at a branch of the issuing bank, if possible. Watch the bank verify or issue the check. Or, if that's not possible, wait until your bank confirms the check has fully cleared before releasing the item.
- 7. Buyers from outside of the country
- If a buyer is from another country, this is a sign you may be dealing with a scammer.
- Email Scams
- Do not respond to an email if you have not provided your email as a point of contact.
- Be cautious of unsolicited emails, even if they appear to come from interested buyers.
What to Do If You Suspect a Scam
- 1. Forward Suspicious Messages
- Send any suspicious email or text information to the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) for investigation.
- 2. Report Scams
- Notify us and other relevant authorities immediately if you suspect fraudulent activity.