Here is a brief video in expalining the latest in the Clayton Smart, Funeral Embezlment criminal trial.
Smart took 22 million in Funeral trust funds in multiple states.
This man is a living example of why you should not purchase funeral preneed.
Funeral Industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy
Significant Preneed problems have been reported in Michigan in 2009. Funeral preneed scams have been reported throughout the State in 2009
There were significant preneed funeral problems in Michigan in 2009
“Unfortunately, the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth stated that in the last fiscal year alone they received 53 complaints about pre-paid funeral scams run by 10 different funeral parlors. However, there are protections in place to keep consumers from falling into the same traps. For example, according to Phil Douma, the executive director of the Michigan Funeral Directors Association, there is a Michigan law that requires providers of pre-paid funerals to register with the state and to put the money that people pay into escrow so that it is available when the funeral occurs. Furthermore, Douma also offers the following tips to help keep you informed when purchasing a pre-paid funeral:
• Funeral homes that offer prepaid funeral plans must be registered with the state, and the Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth keeps a searchable online database of prepaid funeral service registration.
• Money accepted as part of a prepaid funeral plan must either be kept in trust or used to buy a life insurance policy that would cover future funeral expenses.
• Those who buy prepaid funeral plans should receive regular reports showing how their plan is faring