Many people purchase cemetery plots in advance to ease the financial and emotional burdens on their families.

• Carefully read cancellation and refund terms before signing a contract.
• If you pre-purchase a plot, make sure that your loved ones are aware.
• Do independent research on any cemetery owner or operator you are considering buying a plot from.

• Many people enter into contracts to prearrange their funerals and prepay some or all of the expenses involved to ease the financial and emotional burdens on their families.
  • Always insist on seeing an itemized bill for the services you are purchasing.
  • Carefully read cancellation and refund terms as well as your portability options for transferring your contract to other funeral homes.
• You do not have to buy all of your funeral items from the same funeral home.
  • Call and shop around before making a purchase.
• Caskets are often the most expensive component of funeral services.
  • Insist on seeing caskets at different price points before making a decision to purchase a particular model.
  • A casket is not necessary when performing a direct cremation.
• The Federal Trade Commission can help you plan a funeral.  You have rights under the federal Funeral Rule which allows you to compare prices and choose only the things you want or need.

• Scammers sometimes use natural disasters as an opportunity to defraud consumers.
  • Often, scammers create fake charities after natural disasters preying on consumers’ altruism.
  • A fraudulent charity may be reluctant to provide information about its identity, mission, costs, and how the donation will be used.
  • A number of organizations provide information about the trustworthiness and prior track record of charitable organization.
  • Before making a contribution, you may want to look up an organization on various charity evaluation websites.
• Fake repairmen often appear after natural disasters to fix damaged homes.
  • People may present themselves as roofers, carpenters, electricians and other tradesmen, demanding upfront payment for repairs before disappearing.
  • People may make unsafe and incomplete repairs that are not always covered by homeowners’ insurance.
  • Before hiring a contractor to make repairs, ask for proof of contractor licenses, workers compensation insurance, written estimates and scope of work in detail, and a copy of the contractor’s photo identification.

• Scammers sometimes list animals that do not actually exist for sale at “great” and “discounted” prices.
  • Beware of listings on sites that use stock pictures.
  • Be skeptical if a seller offers a “free” pet and then asks for money to cover the cost of things like “a ventilated shipping crate” or “shipping insurance.”
  • Never send money for a pet purchase unless you have seen the animal in person.
  • Consider adopting from a local shelter instead of buying from a private seller.
• Scammers sometimes pose as pet transportation companies to defraud consumers.
  • Always insist on knowing the location and contact information of pet transportation services.
    • Use this information to ensure that the company actually exists and is reputable.
  • Never pay for pet transportation services using money transfer services.