When someone close to us dies, usually the last thing we think is what to do with their identity - as their number and social security cards credit - but it is something that relatives need to understand what to do in that time emotionally straining. Since the elderly and the dead are often targeted as victims of identity theft, it is essential that family members or the executor of the estate complete these steps as soon as possible in order to possibly avoid 'identity theft.
Before completing any of the following steps, relatives must acquire at least 12 official copies of the death certificate. However, there may be a charge for each copy, all agencies to note the death will require official copies to verify the death of the person, and it can help to identity theft protection.
1. Notify the Social Security Administration: The first step is to contact the Social Security Administration because the majority of the identity of a person is connected their social security number, and alerting the administration of social security will obtain the personal information of the deceased added to the Master File death or the deceased official list maintained by the social security administration. In addition, if the deceased was eligible for social security benefits, family or executor of the estate would get the benefits immediately redirected to the legitimate heir.
Before a family member or executor of the estate contact the Administration of Social Security, they will need to collect information about the deceased - including the social security number of the deceased, date of birth, date of death and the address. Once all the information is collected, a family member or executor of the estate must call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 7:00 to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
It is important to note that family members or executors of the estate are not always required to report the death to the administration of social security because the funeral director also has the option to report the death. Be sure to have a discussion to report the death to the funeral director to check who will be responsible for this step.
2. Alert all three credit bureaus: The next thing the family members or executors of the estate have to remove the identity of the deceased is to contact all three credit bureaus - Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. Before calling, members of the family or executors of the estate must ensure they have the deceased's full name, social security number, date of birth, date of death, the last known address and their last five years Address.
Each office has specific requirements to score a deceased credit support, so it is best to call each office before sending the official death certificate to find out what the specific requirements are for this office specific. Once all necessary information is collected, the family members or the executor of the estate then can send to individual offices.
This is the contact information for each office:
Experian, 888-397-3742
PO Box 9701
Allen, Texas 75013
Equifax, 800 -525-6285
PO Box 105069
Atlanta, Georgia 30348
TransUnion, 800-680-7289
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
3. No license driver deceased: Since driving licenses contain a lot of personal information, it is essentially calling Department of Motor Vehicles of the State to cancel the license. It is better to have personal information - including Social Security number of the deceased, date of birth, date of death and the address - on the deceased at hand, but the requirements of each DMV varies depending on the state in which the deceased lived. Call or visit the DMV Web site of the state to learn more about voiding a driving license in that state.
4. Contact each bank and financial institution deceased did business with: In today's world, people bank with many banks or financial institutions, it is therefore essential for protection against identity theft for family members or executors of the estate to contact every bank and financial institution that the deceased did business with. Make sure that each account is closed and the bank or financial institution is aware that the person died.
It is essential to also provide financial or banking institutions that the deceased had a credit card, mortgages, personal loans or other debt. If the deceased has an unpaid debt, a spouse, a person with power or the executor of the estate will be responsible for sorting with every bank and financial institution.
5. insurance and annuity businesses Alert: Once a person dies, the insurance companies sometimes do not know death until a member family or executor of the estate of calls to alert them. If the person had life insurance and annuities, disability insurance, car insurance or a relationship with a company of mutual benefit, a family member or executor of the estate must be sure to also inform the death of enterprises.
6. Cancel all oriented membership organizations: The last step to removing the deceased's identity is to contact each company or institution that the deceased had a membership with. This can be the most time consuming step because a family member or executor of the estate must call or contact grocery stores, health clubs or sports, libraries, old clubs, professional organizations, the rotary organizations or lions. It is also essential to communicate with all regulators work if the person has had a career that requires a professional license -. As a doctor, real estate agent, lawyer or cosmetologist
It is important to note that there might be other necessary measures if the deceased was a military veteran or not a citizen of the United States. family members or executors of the estate of a deceased veteran should alert the administration of the Veteran by calling 1-800-827-1000. family members or executor of the estate of a non-U.S. deceased citizen should alert the service of the United States Citizenship and Immigration's death by calling 1-800-375-5283.
Some members of the family or executors of the estate choose to have the personal information of the deceased added to the deceased not to communicate with the list, which is maintained by the Direct Marketing Association, for a fee $ 1. This list ensures that the deceased will be placed in a file does not contact. To add someone to the list, a family member or executor of the estate must provide the name, address, phone number and email address of the deceased. deceased can be added to the deceased not to communicate with the list by completing and submitting the online form here.
Unfortunately, since identity thieves target the weak, it is essential that members of the family or executors of the estate of how to remove the identity of their relatives. Besides removing the identity by following these steps, family members and executors of the estate to protect the identity of the deceased.