Condolences upon your wife’s passing.
This sounds bogus.
Don’t talk to whoever called you. They may want to get your bank info, etc. It’s a definite scam — that’s why they wanted to know your payment arrangements, trying to get SS No and bank info. I bet if you call AmEx at the number YOU have for them, that’s on the card, they will tell you they did NOT make that call.
The credit card company would send you something in writing, not call you up like this.
Also — I presume you most likely had a joint account, so then you can make the payments as you have been doing. But in any case, they would send you things in the mail, NOT call you up.
If you did give this person on the phone any info, you better monitor your financial accounts very carefully.
As I said, it’s highly likely, almost definitely a scam.
I did a quick search on the internet, and they mentioned scams similar to your experience.
Here is one example:
http://www.pennypinchinghints.com/financial-savings/avoid-debt-scams-after-the-funeral/2961/
When loved ones die, the survivors are vulnerable. It is not the best time for survivors to make decisions. Not only are they in shock, but they are also hit with a lot of detail and paperwork.
Scam artists like to take advantage of this vulnerability, especially when it concerns elderly survivors. For example in 2002, a bogus collection company named Exodus Collection Services made phone calls to people asking to settle debts in the hundreds and provided a mail box address for collection. These calls came within only a few days of the funeral. Scammers can easily use information in recently published obituaries to get contact information for family members of the deceased.
Scammers do not only collect money, they also collect information like Social Security numbers and bank account numbers. Once they have these numbers they can access both the deceased’s and the survivors’ money.
The best protection against such scams is knowledge and a protocol to follow under these difficult circumstances of family’s loss.
When contacted by any collection agency, ask for written proof of the debt. They should be able to provide you the amount owed, the date the debt was acquired, and exactly who is owed. Never deal with information over the phone without something in writing, most importantly when dealing with debt.
Double check any bill collecting company. You can do so through the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) or through your state’s Attorney General’s office.
Understand probate procedure. All monies must be collected through an estate’s executor or through the probate court. You can provide contact information for either, but do not provide further information.
Know also that unless you have co-signed a debt, you have no obligation to pay the debt even if it is a debt accrued by a close family member who has recently died.
Bad situations can cause people to act in a panicked way. Just be sure when you feel most vulnerable that you should not deal with money or personal information over the phone. Secondly, don’t panic before you contact a lawyer or someone who has knowledge and authority over the estate of the dead person.