Identity Theft and the Dead

As terrible as it sounds you are even a more likely victim for this type of theft. As sad as it sounds there are predators out there who find the dead an irresistible target. Why? Because the dead can’t fight back!

While you’re dealing with loss, grief and burial costs now you have to deal with identity theft. The matter can be cleared up by producing a death certificate. The problem is it could be weeks or months before the problem comes to light. Often times it could be years before you realize that your loved ones identity was stolen.

scam artists like to target the dead because it can take much longer for fraudulent activity to be detected than if the victim were alive and kicking. They then proceed to run up charges on existing accounts, open new accounts, and even drain funds from the decedent’s deposit accounts. So how can you protect yourself? You can’t — you’ll be dead before it ever happens! But you can reduce the chances that your dear departed loved ones will be targeted.

First off, keep the obituary short and sweet. The less info you give, the less a crook has to go on. Second, request a copy of the decedent’s credit report and check it for nefarious activity. Then have their report flagged with a “deceased” alert — and be sure to contact each agency individually, as they apparently don’t share death information amongst agencies. Who else should you notify? Start with the Social Security Administration, credit card companies, banks, stockbrokers, loan/lien holders, mortgage companies, etc. Note that while the federal government keeps a ‘Death Master File’ that gets transmitted to financial institutions, it can take awhile for information to trickle down to the appropriate entities, and not everyone makes it onto the list.

The most important thing is to be aware and go on the offense to head off this type of unscrupulous behavior. Correcting identity theft can make months or even years. Checking your credit report on a regular basis is probably the most proactive thing you can do to safeguard against this type of theft. Don’t leave yourself or your departed loved on vulnerable to this type of abuse.