BRUNSWICK, Ga. — A grieving Brunswick woman was scammed out of hundreds of dollars while trying to bury a relative at Martin Funeral Home and Cremation.
The woman received a call earlier this month from someone pretending to be from the business. The caller demanded $750 through CashApp to move forward with funeral arrangements.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
After she paid, scammers took more money in additional transactions, bringing her total loss to $1,150.
Funeral home owner Deon Martin says his staff never asks for payments over the phone or through apps.
“She was hurt, very hurt,” Martin said. “Going through a moment like that is so traumatic — and then to feel like you’ve been bribed or taken advantage of, it puts a salty taste in people’s mouths. We don’t demand money over the phone, ever.”
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
Martin says his funeral home immediately contacted police and advised the woman to alert her bank. He said a second customer of his— and even other funeral homes in Brunswick — have reported similar scams.
Scammers targeted two of his families in mourning in the same week.
In one case, the woman caught on and told the funeral home about the suspicious requests.
He’s urging people to confirm funeral payments face-to-face and call police if anyone demands money over the phone.
Police are investigating who’s behind the scams.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
