LA MESA, Calif. — Scammers have hit a new all time low, posing as funeral home employees and trying to get money from people who are going through some of the toughest moments of their lives.
Former CBS 8 colleague, Jennifer Lothspeich lost her husband, Dustin, unexpectedly in March. He died due to health reasons.
"Even with all the words I have, there's no way I could put words together to explain who he was," she said tearfully. "He was the love of my life."
April 17 would have been Dustin's 41st birthday.
"My life has changed irrevocably," said Lothspeich. "I really take it moment to moment because I can't think too far into the future, or I'll just panic."
The couple has a two-year-old son named Harrison.
"How am I ever going to explain to him who his dad was? How am I ever going to make him know how much his dad loved him?" she said.
April 5, just days after his death, she said she got a call from someone she thought was with the funeral home.
"He's saying 'You owe $49.90.' He's like 'It's an insurance thing in case someone got hurt while they were at the mortuary,'" said Lothspeich.
The scammer had spoofed the funeral home's number, so the number that came up on her phone made the call appear legit.
"He was saying 'You can't come down here. Just give me the credit card over the phone. You can't pay me cash. You need to just do this over the phone," said Lothspeich.
The FTC has been warning about spoofing scams for years. Experts said thieves often use information they've gathered on social media. Lothspeich believes that's exactly what happened in her case.
"He called back one last time and said 'We won't need that payment because we're gonna refuse your business because of how rude you have been to us.' So then the panic becomes 'Where's my husband's body? And what are they going to do with it?,'" said Lothspeich.
After making some calls, Lothspeich realized it was all fake.
"Somebody was willing to take this horror show and make it worse, which is unbelievable," she said.
"Disgust and how monstrous people can be," she said. "I'm just thinking of all the older widowers who are gonna get calls like this and not know and have another nightmare to deal with."
Lothspeich said she called the authorities, but because nothing was actually stolen she said she was told there isn't much they can do about it. They told her trying to trace the number is impossible.
CBS 8 reached out to the California Funeral Director's Association. Executive Director Matthew Peralta responded with this statement:
"We have not heard of this being a widespread occurrence in California. CFDA will continue to monitor this, and we stand ready to work with the appropriate government agencies and law enforcement officials to make sure those who pose as funeral establishments to scam Californians are held accountable."
According to online research, funeral home scams have been happening around the country. There were so many in Alabama at one point that the Alabama Board of Funeral Service put a warning out to consumers about it.
CBS 8 also reached out to the California Department of Consumer Affairs. Spokesperson Peter Fournier replied with this statement:
Consumers are encouraged to contact the Federal Trade Commission or local law enforcement if they believe they have been a target of a scam.
Consumers are reminded to not disclose any personal information, i.e. social security numbers, date of births, or credit/debit card numbers, without first taking steps to verify the identity of the person requesting the information, and that they have a legitimate need for it.
Meanwhile, Lothspeich is trying to figure out what life is going to look like without her husband.
"We had almost 10 years together, more than some people get but it's definitely not enough," she said.
"I have feelings of sheer terror because I don't know what the future looks like for us. And that's really scary," said Lothspeich.
To donate to Jennifer's GoFundMe, click here. Dustin was a member of the band Old Tiger. A benefit concert will be held at the Casbah in Downtown San Diego May 21.
La Mesa woman targeted by scammers
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