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You are Here: CreditReporting.com > Identity Theft Resources > Deceased Identity Theft
Because it is oftentimes very painful to discover that a deceased relative or loved one has had their identity stolen after death, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk. Especially after a person spends their entire life protecting their credit and good name, it can be frustrating for the surviving family members to watch while a criminal tarnishes the good name of a deceased loved one.
So here are some things you should know.
Why target the deceased?
The deceased may be vulnerable to ID Theft for many reasons but especially because the information about their death is normally readily available to the public in the form of death notices and obituaries in the newspaper. Identity thieves may then use this information to dig deeper for the deceased’s personal information by getting more information from the death certificate and/or the Social Security Death Index File.
Statistics also show that family members may steal the identity of their deceased relatives because family members have ready access to personal and financial information necessary to commit identity fraud.
Steps to take - usually by the surviving spouse or the executor of the deceased’s estate:
1. Obtain original copies of the official death certificate. It is a good idea to obtain several copies.
2. Provide information on the death to the three national credit reporting agencies.
Addresses of the three national credit reporting agencies:
Equifax Office of Consumer Affairs P O Box 105169 Atlanta, GA 30348 |
Experian |
Trans Union |
1-800-685-1111 |
1-888-397-3742 |
1-800-888-4213 |
3. As soon as possible, notify by telephone and in writing the deceased’s
As the representative of the deceased, you will give information on how the estate will take care of outstanding debts, and which accounts will be transferred to the survivor or the executor, and which will be closed. If accounts are closed, request the following statement be added to the official record of the account, “Account closed. Holder is deceased.”
4. Alert these other entities also:
If Identity Theft has already occurred, continue with the steps above as appropriate, and additionally: