Horne Funeral Service & Crematory

12/16/2025

12/14/2025

***ALERT***

The number of scam attempts occurring across Virginia is on the rise.

We strongly encourage you to alert your clients about scams in which families have reported receiving phone calls from individuals falsely claiming that insurance funds cannot be released until a death certificate has been filed. The caller pressures the family to make an immediate “deposit” to speed up the process.

Please remind families that these calls are not legitimate. Your funeral home will never contact them unexpectedly to demand payment.

In one case shared with VFDA, scammers reviewed published obituaries and then contacted families with false claims, including:

• Demanding a deposit to ensure a scheduled service would take place the next day.

• Requiring payment to supposedly prevent the state from taking possession of the remains.

• Using the names of actual funeral home staff to claim insurance had not been paid and a deposit was needed to “guarantee” the service time.

Your clients’ safety and peace of mind are extremely important to us. Please help spread the word.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Best regards,

Virginia Funeral Directors Association

12/02/2025

Thank you so much to the Christiansburg Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, and the Pulaski County Sheriff's Office for their help in es**rting Tuesday's funeral procession for a retired Marine, Ed Mason, from Horne Funeral Home to the SW Va. Veterans Cemetery in Dublin. The es**rt adds to the honor and respect that our fallen veterans so deserve. God Bless!