August 02 , 2006

Apparent Phone Scam Targets Family of Recently Deceased

A caller purporting to be from the state Office of Vital Statistics has contacted at least two recently widowed Montana women in an apparent attempt to gain access to personal information.

“We want Montanans to know that our office does not call people to get personal information,” said Joan Miles, director of the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), which includes the Vital Statistics Office. “This appears to be a scam, a deplorable attempt to take advantage of people at a very vulnerable point in their lives.”

In the past several days, DPHHS has heard from two women whose husbands’ obituaries were recently in local newspapers, Miles said. A caller representing himself as an employee of the Vital Statistics Office asked for Social Security numbers, marriage licenses, and birth certificates for the deceased husbands.

“It’s always a bad idea to give out personal information over the phone if you didn’t initiate the call,” Miles said.

She urged anyone receiving such calls to hang up immediately. Anyone with caller ID who is able to record the number the call is coming from should report it to local police and the state Office of Consumer Protection, 406-444-4500.

For more information, contact the Office of Vital Statistics at 406-444-2685.

 

Page last updated: 08/02/2006