The Indiana State Department of Health (IDOH) is warning Hoosiers of a particularly obnoxious scam, in which fraudulent calls are being made to the families of deceased persons requesting personal information to complete death certificates.

IDOH “will never make these types of phones calls,” Corey Ealy, director of the Vital Records Division, said in a statement released today. “According to law, this information is collected by funeral directors who provide services to the family of the deceased.”

In this scam, the caller—identifying himself as a representative of IDOH or the state public health office—tells the family that he needs personal information in order to complete the death certificate. The caller then asks for the birth date of the deceased, home address, and Social Security number.

“If anyone receives a call like this, it is important not to release any information,” Ealy said. “The fraudulent calls started recently and the Indiana State Department of Health has contacted the Office of the Attorney General.”

The Attorney General and IDOH will need specific information in order to pursue this fraudulent activity, the statement said. If you receive such a call, it is important to obtain as much information as possible, including a telephone number and the caller’s purported name.

Contact the Attorney General at (800) 382-5516 or at www.in.gov/attorneygeneral

Posted 4/2/2008