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AI scammers are scouring obituaries to target widows — one lost $7,000 after being told her late husband evaded taxes

Brian O’Connell

Mon, August 24, 2026 at 1:30 PM GMT+3 5 min read

It's open season for scams on older Americans and, in one particularly gruesome grift, it appears fraudsters will leave no gravestone unturned in their search for a victim.

Clayton LiaBraaten, a spokesperson at TrueCaller, a caller ID and fraud-prevention services company, told USA Today that a male customer recently reached out about a scam perpetrated against his widowed mother.

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Using artificial intelligence to canvas obituaries, fraudsters identified the woman as a target, told her they'd helped her late husband cook up a tax avoidance cover-up and said she had to pay them $7,000 in order to "preserve what was left of her inheritance," USA Today reports. By the time the mother's family figured out the scam, it was too late.

The fraudsters were "scouring obituaries and looking for vulnerabilities," LiaBraaten said. "It's so disgusting, I can barely keep my cool about it."

LiaBraaten noted that AI is proving to be highly useful for scammers, as the technology makes it much easier and faster to identify victims, write a "scam script" and generate deepfake images, voice messages and videos. This allows scammers to set up convincing fraud campaigns and send phishing calls, texts or emails out to thousands of potential victims within minutes.

"They don't necessarily commit the fraud on the first call," LiaBraaten added. "They may just be gathering personally identifiable information to leverage against you in the future."

How easy access to obits is a boon for scammers

With the "graveyard grift," fraudsters can easily extract information from a public obituary — including names, relatives, employers, hometowns and other details — to create a convincing scam. This adds to a growing list of fraud options against older Americans, most of which are now easier to create using AI.

According to the FBI, Americans aged 60-plus reported $7.7 billion in internet or cyber-enabled crime losses in 2025, up 59% from 2024. The 2025 figures represent an average of $38,500 lost per elderly scam case.

Making matters worse, cases involving deceased spouses put a grim new spin on the elderly fraud front.

"Recently widowed older adults can be especially vulnerable because they're grieving and often dealing with an overwhelming number of financial and administrative tasks at the same time," Jennifer Szakaly, founder and CEO of Caregiving Corner in Charlotte, NC, who often educates families about senior scams, told Moneywise.

One big problem tied to scams against older Americans is that families are particularly vulnerable right after a parent or grandparent's death, especially when they're closing accounts, paying bills, dealing with insurance, settling an estate or trying to understand financial responsibilities their spouse previously handled. "A call about an unfamiliar account or unpaid obligation might not seem unusual given the circumstances," Szakaly noted.

Obituaries, in particular, can be an open book for fraudsters.

"Obits can give a scammer an incredible amount of information to work with: a spouse's full name, children's and grandchildren's names, hometowns, former employers, schools, military service and sometimes even churches or other organizations," said Szakaly.

From there, scammers can search social media and other public sources to find more details. "The more personal information they have, the more believable their story can sound," Szakaly added.

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How to recognize and prevent an obit scam

Experts advise families to focus on red flags immediately after an older family member's death, especially with phone calls.

"The scam itself may be something simple," Mike McCulloch, host of YouTube's Glad You Asked and a financial planner at Hunter Associates, told Moneywise. "The person calling may insist that it needs to be handled immediately, but if someone calls you and asks for personal information, hang up immediately."

Scammers can also fake a caller ID and pretend they are calling from a trusted organization.

"To protect yourself, be sure you initiate the call where you're providing personal information," McCulloch advised.

Families can also help each other out by making sure their loved ones understand the common warning signs of a scam targeting older Americans.

"Fraudsters often create a false sense of urgency, pressure victims to act immediately, ask for unusual forms of payment like gift cards or wire transfers, and discourage them from talking to a family member or trusted advisor before sending money," McCulloch noted.

What to do if you think you've been scammed

Once any money has left your account and is on its way to a scammer, speed is paramount.

"Immediately contact the bank, brokerage house, credit card company and/or wire transfer company involved in the transaction and advise them that you believe you have been a victim of fraud," Evan H. Farr, certified elder law attorney and retirement planner at Farr Law Firm P.C, told Moneywise. "Also, ask if there are any ways to prevent further loss, such as a credit or debit card freeze or a transaction reversal."

"Then, make sure to retain all documentation related to this transaction including communication from the scammer (think telephone number, e-mails, payment instructions and transfer details)," Farr added.

Additionally, it's imperative to change passwords on secured e-mail accounts, cancel any compromised debit/credit cards and implement multi-factor authentication on financial accounts where needed.

You should also file complaints with law enforcement agencies and consumer complaint organizations as soon as possible, "and assume that your victimized loved one will be targeted again — successful victims are highly valued lead sources," Farr added.

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This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: AI scammers are scouring obituaries to target widows — one lost $7,000 after being told her late husband evaded taxes

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.