After a death and especially after an obituary is published, grieving families become targets for several specific scams. Scammers monitor obituaries and social-media death announcements. If you are a family we are currently serving, or have served recently, please read this page. If anything matches what you are experiencing, call us immediately at (214) 738-4276. We will not charge you to help sort it out.
The five scams we see most
1. The "unpaid funeral bill" call
A caller claims to be from Vargas-London (or “a collections agency working with us”) and says the funeral bill is unpaid. They demand immediate payment by wire transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency.
How to recognize it: We never call asking for payment by wire, gift card, Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, or crypto. Our invoices are detailed and written, and we accept normal payment methods (check, credit card, insurance assignment). If your invoice is truly open, we have it on file and can show you in person or email a copy on request from a verified family member.
What to do: Hang up. Call us back at our published number, (214) 738-4276, to verify the status of any invoice.
2. The "insurance beneficiary" scam
Someone contacts you claiming your loved one named them as a life-insurance beneficiary, or claims your loved one owed them money that must be repaid from the estate.
How to recognize it: Legitimate insurance claims are handled through the insurance company, which will contact the named beneficiary directly with documentation. Legitimate debts are handled through the probate process, not by phone.
What to do: Refer the caller to the estate attorney or probate court. Do not send money or personal information.
3. The fake "obituary publication fee"
You receive an email or call saying an online obituary has been posted and requires payment for it to remain online. The URL will sometimes look plausible (legacyobituaries[dot]net, tributesonline[dot]co).
How to recognize it: Obituaries we publish are always free. If a third party published one without your permission, no payment will take it down — only the site owner can. Do not pay.
What to do: Ignore it. Screenshot it and forward to us if you'd like us to track the pattern.
4. The "home burglary while at the funeral" scam
Obituaries sometimes publish the service time and home address. Burglars have been known to target homes during funeral services. This is a real risk, not an online scam.
How to prevent it: Ask us to publish the service time but not the home address. Have a trusted neighbor, relative, or house-sitter stay at the home during the service. Have someone pick up mail and packages.
5. The "your loved one was looking into our company" investment scam
After an obituary, families sometimes receive mail or calls about "pending investments" the deceased was considering. These are nearly always fraudulent.
What to do: Discard. If it feels legitimate, verify through an independent source (e.g., call the financial institution using a number you look up yourself, not one provided in the letter).
General rules
- We never ask for payment by wire, gift card, Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, or cryptocurrency. Ever.
- We never cold-call about unpaid bills. Invoices go out in writing.
- Our phone number is (214) 738-4276. If someone calls you claiming to be from Vargas-London from a different number, hang up and call us back.
- When in doubt, call us. We will help you sort any suspicious contact, free of charge, even if it turns out to be legitimate.
Report a scam
If you or someone you love has been targeted or has lost money:
- FTC ReportFraud: reportfraud.ftc.gov
- Texas Attorney General Consumer Protection: texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection
- Local police for immediate threats or burglary
- Us: (214) 738-4276 — if the scam involves impersonating our firm, tell us so we can warn others and alert authorities