STOP Identity Theft in America

There is no more despicable crime in America than that of identity theft of our deceased loved ones.

But it happens - and on a much greater occurrence than what people are aware of.

Go through the obituaries in the newspaper and many times you can learn the date of birth to the deceased, the mother's maiden name, and address.

Think how a this could be used in identify theft by criminals!

Obituary

Don't include details such as day and month of birth or address in the obituary. Use only the year.

Aside from preventing identity theft, you don't want thieves to visit the house, helping themselves while you're interring a loved one.

Promptly notify the Social Security Administration of the death at 800-772-1213 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on business days. For the hearing impaired, the number is 800-325-0778.

Mail copies of the death certificate to all three credit-reporting bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — and all credit issuers to cancel accounts right after the person dies. 

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