Scam Artists Use Obituaries to Select Marks

Hereâ€™s a warning about an obituary scam - one that targets those who are most vulnerable - those who have just lost a loved one. <br><br><I>Brett Meeks, Bereaved Husband </I>"On September 7th my wife

Wednesday, October 9th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Hereâ€™s a warning about an obituary scam - one that targets those who are most vulnerable - those who have just lost a loved one.

Brett Meeks, Bereaved Husband "On September 7th my wife unexpectedly passed away.."

Life was hard enough, then a letter from an Exodus Collection Service showed up in Brett Meek's mailbox. The letter said his late wife Linda was delinquent on her Visa account, claiming she owed more than $430.

Mr. Meeks "If I didn't pay immediately by check or money order that there would be a negative impact on my credit."

Meeks says he'd never heard of this mysterious account. At first he thought his wife's identity had been stolen.

Mr. Meeks: "Had to check all my credit cards, and had to go into my wife's purse toâ€¦you know toâ€¦(sobs)...sorry..."

The letter listed a return address in Willmington, Delaware, but when Meeks tried calling---there was no listing.

So Mr. Meeks was became suspicious â€“ and determined to find out more about "Exodus Collection Service."

The Delaware Attorney General is too. After receiving complaints, Investigators checked the address in Wilmington and found nothing but a mail drop. They maintain Exodus Collection Services is a fraud.

"And how did the crooks know who to target in this scam? The Delaware Better Business Bureau believes some of the information may have come from www.obits.com.

But there are dozens of others that list obituariesâ€”often giving very specific information---like the city where the deceased lived and names of survivors.

According to the BBB these bogus letters have gone out all over the country asking for amounts ranging from about 140 to close to 800 dollars. Brett Meeks didn't fall for it - and he wants other to beware.

Mr. Meeks: "It's been a few days and I'm still upset, I guess right now I'm kind of on a vendetta to make sure these people are stopped."

Investigators say tracking down these scam artists will be tough. Even though this Exodus company is supposedly based in Delaware---the envelope the letter came in had a Missouri postmark..