It seems that nothing is sacred in this world where scam artists find more and more creative ways to take advantage of unsuspecting people. I recently read an article about a family who had lost a parent. The next week they received a telephone call from the state’s Vital Records division requesting personal information in order to complete the death certificate.

This seemingly legitimate call was in fact a scam to steal the identify of the deceased person. While this case was in Indiana, similar cases exist in every state in the union. The most important fact for you to remember is that state agencies, no matter the
circumstances, don't call families to obtain personal information such as the deceased person’s birth date, address and Social Security number.

In almost every case, it is the funeral director who gets the personal information from the family and also gets the doctor or coroner to complete the medical portion of the death certificate. This information is then filed with the proper state agency. No matter how insistent, helpful or sympathetic the caller, never give anyone personal information over the phone!