How to Prevent Identity Theft of a Deceased Person

Ghost fraud: An insidious form of identity theft

Stealing the identity of someone who has died has become a rising trend among fraudsters. After suffering the devastating loss of a loved one, you often aren’t vigilantly tracking their financials, which creates an easy opportunity for identity thieves to steal personal information for long periods of time.

This type of identity theft has become incredibly pervasive. Recent statistics indicate that 2.5 million deceased fall victim to some form of identity theft.

According to Phillip Reed, an estate and asset protection attorney in Kalamazoo, Michigan, recent reports outline that identity theft crimes have risen a staggering 380%, stripping away over $16 billion in 2024. These numbers highlight a growing crisis that requires vigilance.

As always, when it comes to potential identity theft, quick action is often the best remedy. Follow these steps to prevent identity theft of a deceased person if you've recently lost a loved one.

» MORE: Best identity theft protection services

1. Notify relevant agencies

As a next of kin, you’ll be faced with quite a bit of paperwork and administrative tasks when your loved one passes away. Among the earliest steps you’ll want to take is to notify the Social Security Administration of the death. This will set in motion things like death benefits and the end of Social Security payments and Medicare.

Next, you’ll want to send a copy of the death certificate to each of the three credit reporting agencies, which will prompt them to put a “deceased alert” on your loved one’s credit file. This can make it more likely that fraudulent or unauthorized activity will be flagged, which is one of the best ways to prevent identity theft of a deceased person.

Get copies of the death certificate and include it, along with a certified letter stating the deceased person’s name, address and Social Security number (SSN), in an envelope. Mail to each of the three agencies at the addresses listed below:

Equifax
P.O. Box 105139, Atlanta, GA 30348-5139

Experian
P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

2. Secure and manage documents

Once you’ve notified the Social Security administration, the IRS and the credit bureaus of your loved one’s passing, you’ll need to turn your attention to important documentation like Social Security cards, passports, driver’s licenses and tax returns.

TIP: Store all your estate documentation in a secure location, and password protect sensitive documents that are stored on a computer.

Any documents that have their name on them or any personal information should be securely stored or shredded, Reed advised. “Often, people clean out a deceased person’s home and simply throw away highly sensitive paperwork,” he said. “But criminals will dumpster dive and pull out sensitive paperwork that allows them to steal the deceased’s identity.”

3. Close and monitor accounts

Cancel and close credit cards and bank accounts in the deceased’s name. “Providing the banks and investment institutions with the death certificate helps put them on notice. Then, they will usually take the lead on closing the accounts,” Reed said.

If it’s a joint account or the account has a co-signer, be sure to ask the second party how they’d like the account handled. They may prefer to close the account altogether, or conversely, to become the primary account holder.

If accounts are in a trust, providing a death certificate notifies the bank that the successor trustee is in charge. If not, it’ll require probate administration or pay-on-death to be initiated. Monitor accounts to check for identity theft.

Reed advised, “Do it as soon as possible and then be sure to monitor during the estate or trust administration. It is good practice to request final credit reports as well, as this will allow the family to look at new accounts opened, unfamiliar credit or inquiries following the deceased’s date of death.”

Write a careful obituary

Nothing seems more criminal than using one’s obituary to scam them or their next of kin. “Obituary scams, also known as bereavement scams, typically start with information gleaned from death notices in newspapers or posted online,” AARP reported.

Fraudsters can use birthdates to find SSNs, addresses to assist in applying for fraudulent credit accounts and even next of kin’s identification to engage in romantic scams or false demands for money from the funeral home.

To prevent this, Reed provided the following advice to keep in mind as you write your loved one’s obituary:

• Don’t include the exact birthday; instead, just use the year or the decade they were born.
• Don’t include the person’s middle name or mother’s maiden name.
• Keep the home location limited to just the city.
• Don’t disclose detailed information about the family.

Report identity theft

The best defense against identity theft is to know the warning signs so you can spot — and reverse — identity theft early on. Any sort of posthumous account activity should be carefully examined and questioned (though things like recurring charges can certainly be legitimate as well).

According to AARP, you should beware of calls from an alleged government official, debt collector or insurance broker about outstanding taxes, unpaid bills or unfinished business supposedly left by a recently deceased loved one. These are often scam calls, and they can be extremely convincing thanks to enhanced spoofing technology and artificial intelligence.

In addition, Reed said, if you spot any suspicious charges or you’re contacted by someone for a questionable reason, don’t hesitate to file a Federal Trade Commission report at identitytheft.gov.

“If you believe identity theft has occurred, call the local authorities as soon as possible,” he advised.

» LEARN: How to report identity theft