‘Pretty low individual’: Man scammed by fake life insurance agent shortly after sister’s death

CORINTH, Miss. (WTVA/Gray News) — A Mississippi man says he was scammed shortly after the death of his sister.

According to Tim Williams, he was called by a woman who identified herself as the life insurance agent for his sister, Stephanie Jeanine Williams Machado.

The woman gave him account numbers and policy numbers, and requested $1,375 for the insurance company to release payment to the Corinthian Funeral Home.

Williams said he entered a three-way phone call with the woman and the funeral home, and that it all seemed to be legitimate.

All the money he had available at the time was $620, and the woman told him to send it.

When Williams asked how the woman would like the funds sent, she said to get it to her however was easiest, either by going to the insurance office or via the Cash App.

Williams said he sent the money to his nephew, who then sent it through the app.

However, Williams said the funeral home told him it never received payment, so he looked up the number and found that it belonged to a man who lived in Alabama.

The number did not belong to the woman who spoke to him or match the name on the Cash App account.

“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.

Williams said that anyone who suddenly loses a loved one should make sure to double-check and triple-check that everything is real.