Mississippi man loses $620 to fake insurance call after sister dies

Tim Williams of Corinth, Mississippi, lost $620 to a phone scammer who posed as the life insurance agent for his late sister, Stephanie Jeanine Williams Machado. The incident occurred shortly after Machado’s death, a period Williams described as particularly difficult.

The caller identified herself as the insurance representative for Machado’s policy. She provided specific account and policy numbers and requested $1,375 to release a payment to the Corinthian Funeral Home. Williams joined a three-way call with the woman and the funeral home to verify the details. He said the interaction appeared legitimate.

Williams had only $620 available at the time. The caller advised him to send the funds by whichever method was easiest, suggesting either a visit to the insurance office or a transfer via Cash App. Williams sent the money to his nephew, who then forwarded it through the app.

After the funeral home reported that it had not received the payment, Williams investigated the phone number he had called. The number belonged to a man living in Alabama. It did not match the name on the Cash App account nor correspond to the woman who had spoken to him.

“When you’re already in a bad time in your life .. losing your loved one. Then for somebody to do this on top of that takes a pretty low individual to go to that extent,” Williams said. He advised anyone who has recently lost a loved one to double-check and triple-check that all requests for payment are genuine.

The $620 Williams sent was less than the $1,375 initially requested by the scammer. The funeral home confirmed it never received the funds from the insurance company.