Sample Letter To The Credit Bureaus Notifying Of Death printable pdf download

Identity Theft and the Deceased

Identity Theft Can Victimize the Dead

Tips for Consumers

Consumer Information Sheet 3C

•

June 2014

Identity thieves can strike even after death. An identity thief’s use of a deceased person’s Social

Security number may create problems for family members. This type of identity theft also victimizes

merchants, banks, and other businesses that provide goods and services to the thief.

What happens to your Social Security number after you die? The Social Security Administration

(SSA) maintains a national file of reported deaths for the purpose of paying appropriate benefits.

The file contains the following information: Social Security number, name, date of birth, date of

death, state of last known residence, and zip code of last lump sum payment.

The SSA generally areceives reports of death from a family member or a funeral home. Sometimes

delays in reporting can provide time for identity thieves to collect enough personal information to

open credit accounts or take other fraudulent actions using the deceased’s information. To prevent

this from happening, a surviving spouse or other authorized individual, such as an executor, can

notify the credit bureaus. This will ensure that the deceased’s files are flagged with a “deceased”

notation.

Signs of possible identity theft include calls from a creditor or collection agency on an account

opened or used in the deceased’s name after death. If you discover such signs, contact the affected

creditor or collection agency in writing, explaining that the account was opened or used fraudu-

lently. See sample letter attached.

Notifying the Social

Notifying the Credit Bureaus

Security Administration

To flag the credit files of a person who is de-

ceased, the surviving spouse or executor needs

In most cases, a funeral director will report the

to notify the three national credit bureaus in

person’s death to SSA. To ensure the death is

writing. The surviving spouse or executor must

reported promptly, a family member can make

include the following specific information

a report directly to an SSA representative by

along with the alert request: 1) a copy of death

calling SSA toll-free, 1-800-772-1213 (TTY

certificate, and 2) proof of executorship or mar-

1-800-325-0778), between the hours of 7:00

riage. Then mail the notification documents to

a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

the credit bureaus at the addresses listed on the

For more information, visit SSA online at

next page.

avier

ecerra

alifornia

epartment of

ustice

Attorney General

Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit

State of California

Sample Letter To The Credit Bureaus Notifying Of Death

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