Georgia Woman Scams Grieving Families Out Of $80,000 Pretending To Be Funeral Home Worker

A Georgia woman is in hot water after she allegedly scammed grieving families by pretending she was an employee at a funeral home in Jonesboro, according to WSB-TV.

The Jonesboro Police Department claims that 34-year-old Danielle Longino aka Danielle Watkins is a scammer who cheated several families out of $80,000. Longino is a former employee at the Anthony L. Watkins Funeral Home. The police said that Longino cheated the families by pretending she still worked at the funeral home in the Atlanta suburb.

Longino turned herself in at the Clayton County Jail on Dec. 9. Longino’s picture and a description had been posted on social media and sent out to the press stating that she was a person of interest in the funeral home scam.

Jonesboro police chief Tommy Henderson said at a press conference that Longino contacted the families after a loved one passed away and pretended she still worked at the funeral home.

“She would contact several victims after they suffered a death in the family, while they were making arrangements,” said Henderson. “She would scam them out of money for caskets and funeral services.”

The police also said that she used the last name Watkins to scam people trying to make arrangements through Watkins Funeral Home. “To my knowledge, they were looking for services at the funeral home, and in some cases, she would contact them,” he added.

A longtime friend of Longino’s, Faye Yvette McQueen, wondered if something may have been wrong to cause her friend to scam the families. “I feel for her because something must be wrong,” she said. “But I also feel for the people that were scammed. Justice and hopefully help. I think she needs help.”

Henderson said he’d never seen a scam like the one Longino is accused of committing during his entire career.