Identity Theft After Death
One particularly heartless form of identity theft is postmortem identity theft; that is, the theft of a dead person's identity. It isn't just crooked politicians getting out the graveyard vote any more. You may be shocked to find that there is a wide variety of information that can be taken from the dead and used by the dishonest living to defraud. An astonishing number of important things are not immediately blocked after you die, but remain active and available to be stolen. Although the deceased may not be around to be injured, it is often devastating for surviving family members, especially dependents who were counting on various benefits that may have been hijacked by the identity thief or heirs who were counting on receiving a home or other valuable properties. Charitable foundations and other organizations can also discover that the money bequeathed to them has suddenly vanished.
You may be wondering how something so cruel could happen, but it's appallingly simple. The identity thief needs only read the obituaries and find someone who looks similar to them or otherwise appears to be a good candidate. Once the identity thief has the necessary information, they can obtain a copy of the death certificate (often by posing as a relative who has a legitimate need for one). Because the death certificate includes the Social Security number of the deceased, the identity thief can use it to create a wide variety of false identity documents, enabling them to create an entire life for themselves. Because the deceased is not around any more to object and because banks and other businesses rarely cross-check Social Security numbers against the Social Security Administration's databases to ensure that the persons who hold them are indeed living, the criminals often feel they have little risk.
Often nobody in the family realizes there is a problem until the debts start building up. At first they often think it's just a matter of miscommunication between the various family members who are handling the settling of the final expenses, but soon the creditors begin demanding that they be paid out of the estate.
Although the would-be heirs often feel this is grossly unfair and punishing innocent victims for the crimes of others, by the letter of the law the creditors have the right to the money, or the proceeds of the sale of material possessions in the estate. By the time the fraud is discovered, the thief typically has already moved on to victimize some other grieving family. As a result, it is almost impossible to catch the thief, and it is rarely possible to recover any damages, or even preserve prized possessions if they have any financial value beyond their sentimental value.
Although you may be in shock and confusion, especially if the death was sudden and unexpected, it is vital to take immediate steps to protect the identity of your deceased loved one from theft. Make sure that the Social Security office is notified immediately upon the death of a loved one, even if they were not drawing benefits and did not have any dependents who would be entitled to benefits. This step will ensure that the Social Security Administration will not issue a replacement Social Security card in response to an identity thief's request, making it much harder for them to use the stolen Social Security number to open lines of credit or otherwise use it to run up debts that could destroy your loved one's legacy.
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