Identity intruders will stop at nothing – not even the death with the intended victim – with regards to stealing someone’s individual info to commit fraud.

Crafty criminals look for individual particulars about the deceased in obituaries (in the newspaper or on the internet), genealogy Web sites, death certificates and other sources. Armed with individual info – such as a full identify, address and date of birth – an ID thief might be capable to obtain a brand new Social Protection card, a driver’s license, or loans and credit rating cards, even though the victim is no longer alive.

FDIC Customer News suggests that families think about the subsequent actions following a loved one dies:

Limit the amount of personal information in obituaries. “It’s a great concept to leave out the exact birth date of the deceased. If something, provide only the birth year,” said David Nelson, a fraud specialist in the FDIC’s Monetary Crimes Section.

Think about omitting a wife’s maiden identify simply because many monetary institutions use a mother’s maiden identify like a security password. “If an obituary publicizes a woman’s maiden identify and lists her kids, an identity thief may be able to utilize that and other info to order credit rating cards or otherwise go on a spending spree within the childrens’ names,” Nelson additional.

Acquire a number of copies with the passing away certificate after which proceed to close bank, brokerage, credit card and other accounts as required.

Ask your attorney or accountant for advice about closing and reopening accounts in survivors’ names.

Also, quickly report the passing away to the fraud departments of all three main credit bureaus, which monetary institutions rely on when handling credit applications, and the Social Security Administration.

“It’s essential to help avoid identity thieves from assuming the deceased person’s identity before the estate is settled,” explained Nelson. “Otherwise, there may be credit extended to the fraudsters that will need to be resolved before distributions can be created to heirs.”

These thieves are the lowest of the low.  Targeting the deceased should be a crime punishable by passing away from a single thousand slices of a very dull knife.

Don’t make it simple for these identity thieves to entry the info.  It’s not something that we think about during a time of grief, but in today’s world, we need to always be on our toes.

Filed under: Finance

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