Newbern police warn of funeral home payment scam
NEWBERN, Tenn. — The Newbern Police Department is alerting the public to a scam targeting residents.
Police say they first alerted the community about the scam in January and have received additional reports since then. According to the Newbern Police Department, Individuals are contacting potential victims by phone, falsely claiming to be representatives of Johnson-Williams Funeral Home, and requesting payment over the telephone for funeral-related services.
Johnson-Williams Funeral Home staff confirmed to the Newbern Police Department that they do not solicit payments by phone and do not accept payments over the telephone.
The Newbern Police Department said citizens should remain vigilant when receiving unsolicited phone calls, especially those requesting money or personal information.
Police said people should never provide financial or personal information over the phone unless they have independently verified the caller’s identity through a trusted and known contact method.
Police said people who receive a call of this nature should not provide any information or payment, hang up immediately and report the call to law enforcement.
Anyone who believes they may have been contacted or victimized by this scam is encouraged to contact their local law enforcement agency so the incident can be documented and investigated.
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