SCAMMERS posing as funeral home employees have conned a grieving daughter out of thousands – and she hasn’t been the only one.

Over the course of one unexpected phone call, the fraudsters managed to steal $3,500 from her at one of the worst moments of her life.

Paty Bilbo, from Mableton, Georgia, outside Atlanta, lost her mother in February and was meeting with local funeral homes when she was targeted.

She got a call out of the blue purporting to be from Hightower Funeral Home in a nearby town, which she had visited the day before, asking for a down payment, she told Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB-TV.

“I wasn’t required to make a down payment when I arranged my dad’s service, but I thought, well, policies change,” she said.

Initially, she told the caller that she was nervous about sending the money via PayPal as they requested, and asked to drive to the funeral home to make the payment.

That’s when the scammer hooked her by telling her they’d take their time on the phone to process the charge, eventually convincing her to send $1,500.

Then things took a turn.

The fraudster claimed the charge didn’t go through and kept requesting more.

“They put that $1,543.30 in six times,” Bilbo said.

“My mother would be so mad if she thought I was having to go through this because of something to do with her,” she said.

FOUR FAMILIES SCAMMED

The scammers prey on families in mourning, scanning obituaries and impersonating funeral staff.

They call victims, demand a downpayment, and pressure them into paying immediately.

Bilbo reached out to the WSB-TV to warn others before more families fall victim.

“I couldn’t sleep. This is horrible that they’re doing this to people,” Bilbo told the station.

A similar scam hit Georgia resident Scott Jacobsen last year – he lost $9,000 while burying his mother, WSB-TV reported.

Last year in February, Jacobsen thought he was speaking to Dressler’s funeral home.

The caller demanded a $2,500 deposit via PayPal or Venmo.

Bank tips for avoiding scams

As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam:

• Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
• Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
• Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
• Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
• Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
• Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
• Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.

Source: Chase.com

He paid, but the scammer claimed the payment didn’t process.

Jacobsen sent more. His son even Venmoed the money.

In total, they lost thousands before realizing the fraud.

Eventually, PayPal reimbursed one of the transactions since it was marked as a business payment.

Venmo also refunded a payment.

“You have to put yourself in these families’ place. They’re not thinking clearly,” Jacobsen said.

HALL OF SHAME

Hightower Funeral Home has seen at least four families targeted in just days.

“It’s devastating. Our business is built on trust,” owner Jacquelyn Hightower McKinzie said.

They warned grieving families to contact funeral homes directly before making payments.

PayPal and Hightower Funeral Home didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment by The U.S. Sun.

The Federal Trade Commission slammed the scam as one of the worst.

“If there was a Scammers Hall of Shame, this one would make the Top 10 List, without question,” FTC said in a statement.