Victims of identity theft
Identity theft of the dead is a deplorable topic to have to discuss,
but it must be talked about to help those who may be victims of
identity theft in the future. The problem is compounded by the fact
that the family is grieving for the dead and being conned at the same
time. It is made even worse when the deceased had joint accounts with
a partner who is still living because she or he ends up having to pay
dearly for the thief's crimes. The saddest part is that the thief
often gets away with the crime before he or she is caught.
Identity theft from obituaries
Con
artists will scan the obituaries in their city or town and watch for
valuable information that they can use to access bank accounts and
personal credit. Long obituaries
that give many details give these scam artists more valuable
information that they can use to steal the identity of the deceased.
The deceased doesn't have to worry about their credit rating, but the
family is caused undue emotional stress. Sometimes the thieves want to
steal the identity to avoid immigration, legal or financial problems
of their own.
How you can avoid identity theft
The
best way to avoid identity theft from your loved ones obituary is to
take care of financial and credit issues before the obituary is
published. Close accounts, and notify all creditors, banks and
credit reporting agencies of the
deceased's passing. The next best thing is to limit the information on
the obituary so that there isn't a resume of details that list every
occupation, award and detail of the person's life. You can find out
more about writing an obituary at
ObituariesHelp.org
A
checklist of what to do to avoid identity theft from obituaries
If
you do all of these things you will ensure that your loved one will
not be a victim of identity theft after he or she has passed away. It
is even better if you do all of this before you publish the obituary:
-
Close
accounts and credit cards.
-
Notify Equifax, Trans Union and
Experian of the deceased's
passing.
-
Contact Social Security and have them deactivate the social security
number of the deceased.
What to do if you suspect identity theft
If
you've already published the obituary and you notice unusual activity
on the deceased's accounts, you can assume there is some sort of
identity theft and so you must do the following:
-
Notify the police immediately.
-
Contact your bank and freeze account.
-
Contact credit-reporting agencies.
The
police and credit reporting agencies will have more suggestions for
you to keep you safe.
Writing obituaries need not be a daunting task, especially if you have
all your financial affairs in order. If you've taken all the steps to
avoid identity theft from obituaries, you can rest assured that your
obituary can be as long or as short as you would like it to be.
Article Source:
Identity theft