Avoid Identify Theft from Obituaries
Identity theft even applies to the dead. Write your obituaries with identity theft in mind because the deceased’s identity is an irresistible target for thieves. There are tips that you can follow to avoid obituary identity theft.
Identity theft even applies to the dead. Write your obituaries with identity theft in mind because the deceased’s identity is an irresistible target for thieves. There are tips that you can follow to avoid identity theft.
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 , you can rest assured that your obituary can be as long or as short as you would like it to be.
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Tags: all creditors, bank accounts, banks, con artists, credit rating, credit reporting agencies, crimes, deceased, emotional stress, immigration, irresistible target, joint accounts, obituaries, personal credit, resume, scam artists, thief, thieves, victims of identity theft