If you lost a loved one to covid-19, you may be eligible for a government program that pays for funeral expenses.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pay up to $9,000 for funeral expenses for loved ones who died of covid-19. Survivors can apply for benefits by contacting FEMA at 844-684-6333. To find out if you qualify, go to FEMA’s Funeral Assistance FAQs.
FEMA is reporting that scammers are contacting people and pretending to offer to register them for assistance. To avoid these scams, here are tips:
- FEMA won’t contact you until you call or apply for assistance.
- The government won’t ask you to pay anything to get this benefit.
- Don’t give your own or your deceased loved one’s personal or financial information to anyone who contacts you by phone or email that you don’t know.
If you think you received a scam call, hang up and report it to the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
It just amazes me how low people can go to take advantage of those who are vulnerable. Thanks for the tip.
Yes, scammers are awful and ruin lives, but taking advantage of a family that’s lost someone to covid-19 is beyond despicable.
Thank you for sharing this information. It’s so important.
I write a lot about scams, and it seems I’m writing even more articles lately. I think the pandemic is increasing the number of scams with more scams being perpetrated. In addition, it offers new scam opportunities and twists on old ones. The FEMA funeral scam is an example.