We’ve all heard about the dangers of having our identity stolen. But what about people who are already deceased? Turns out they can also have their identity stolen. About 2 million identities of dead people are stolen each year.
Unfortunately, they can’t protect themselves. But there are steps that you can take to discourage deceased loved ones from being targeted.
A story on elderlawanswers.com says one of the big reasons why the deceased are prime targets is that it can take six months for credit agencies to be notified of a death. But you can get around that by sending a copy of your loved one’s death certificate by certified mail to the three credit agencies.
You should also send papers showing you are the executor of the person’s will or estate. Send the loved one’s full name, date of birth and Social Security number, as well as date of death and most recent address. Ask the bureaus to put a “deceased — do not issue credit” alert in the person’s credit files.
You should also send death certificates to any banks, insurers, credit card companies or financial institutions where the person had accounts.
Thieves often get their targets from obituaries. So keep the obituaries free of such identifying information as date of birth, mother’s maiden name or address.
If you have questions about elder law, feel free to contact us for a consultation at (626) 696-3145.
