Identity Theft.   This is a common worry for all of us, based on the tremendous publicity about protecting social security numbers and bank accounts.  Perhaps you have had personal experiences of unauthorized exploitations of your own identity and assets. 

A recent email caught my attention because it dealt with identity theft of a deceased person. 

What is Involved?  If there is a scam involving use of a credit card or social security number of a deceased person, the decedent is obviously not in a position to care.  However, the decedent=s estate, trust or spouse could be involved in an unpleasant mess.  As you are no doubt aware, the time and sometimes expense of sorting out  an unauthorized credit card purchase or bank account withdrawal can be aggravating.  If professional help from an accountant or attorney is used, that will mean an out of pocket expense.

A joint credit card account is an especially dangerous target because a surviving spouse may have to fight off the collection efforts for unauthorized expenditures.   In our practice we see the effect that such collection efforts have on a surviving spouse who is the typical target on a creditor collection, whether the spouse is a joint signer or not. 

Other Scams.  It is always possible that a thief may seek to use an identity and social security number for immigration purposes, as a cover for other illegal activities or simply as an alias. 

Some Suggested Steps.  Typically in our area, a funeral home will notify Social Security immediately in the event of a death.  It is important to verify that this has been done.  Similarly, we would recommend notifying the credit reporting agencies of the death, so that the credit files are immediately brought up to date.  For the record, the  agencies and phone numbers are:

Equifax - 888-766-0008

Transunion - 800-680-7289

Experian - 888-397-3742

 
Many people caution about being too detailed in the decedent=s obituary such as giving exact dates and places of birth.  Certainly, given a  decedent=s age and birth location, anyone choosing to probe deeply, particularly via the internet, would be able to locate a birth certificate.  Again, I would think that notification of the Social Security Administration and the credit reporting agencies would be the principal deterrent to exploitation of a decedent=s identify. 

Other Experiences.    I recently received two absolutely authentic-looking emails from a bank where I maintain an account.  These communications, with the appropriate bank logo, stated there were irregularities in the account and that the account could be Asuspended@ unless I contacted them.  Fortunately, the response link was blocked and  I never made communication with the sender.  When I contacted the bank=s customer service office, I found out that the emails were forged and were an attempt by someone to get by account information. This information could then be used to make charges against the account by telephone.  Needless to say, I was upset at both receiving the emails and at learning that they were fraudulent.