SCOTTSDALE, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) — Identity theft has been a major problem for years, but now scammers are expanding their web of crime to include the dead.

Amy Ballen’s husband, Tom, died last month. According to the Scottsdale widow, the stress and sadness of losing the love of your life can be overwhelming. “The whole thing of getting used to somebody not being here, and being alone [is hard],” Ballen said. “It’s tough having to deal with all of the things that go with it.”

The grieving process can get even worse if someone steals your lost loved one’s identity and hijacks their mail. Just days after Tom Ballen died and his obituary was posted in the newspaper, somebody contacted the U.S. Postal Service to have his mail forwarded from his home in Scottsdale to an unknown address in Atlanta. Read more at AZ Family