Did you know that recently deceased people are very high targets for exploitation after they pass away? This might come as a surprise as a family member or close friend of a deceased person as you are navigating all of the complexities of working through your own grief and potentially even your role in their estate. 
Unfortunately, however, scammers often use details surrounding a deceased party to open lines of credit if you’re not quick and careful about how to close out the estate. There are numerous places that you need to notify after a loved one passes away but start with the Social Security Administration.
They will also notify Medicare but it’s a good idea to disenroll the deceased member from Medicare directly if they were paying any premiums that might automatically be coming out of their account. Furthermore, contact all three of the major credit bureaus to ensure that your loved one is not targeted for identity theft. Many people don’t realize this necessary step to take and, in the days, or weeks following the deceased’s published obituary you may find out that fraudulent activity has occurred and been generated in their name.
Each of these credit bureaus have different guidelines but it’s a good idea to have the person’s legal name, their Social Security Number, date of death and birth, and a copy of the death certificate.
Be careful about closing out any credit accounts if you were a joint account owner since this could harm your credit score. Make sure that if you are the spouse of the deceased person that you continue to monitor your own credit over the following year and make sure there are no mistakes. Schedule a consultation today to learn more about the estate planning process.
