Postmortem Identity Theft

Identity theft is very common in todays' world. It is very easy for almost anyone to get all kinds of information about you- either on the
Internet, by calling and tricking you into disclosing information, or even from mail you might leave in your vehicle or home. A different kind of identity theft has been going on for many, many decades.

This is postmortem identity theft. That's right, people can steal your identity even after you die. This can have disastrous consequences on your surviving family members when and if it is discovered.

How could something like this happen at all? Well, all it takes is an identity thief to read the obituaries and find someone who matches either what they look like or what their clients are looking for.

Once you have a name and birthday, all you have to do is go to city hall and get a death certificate. Social security numbers actually remain valid for a number of years after death due to paperwork pileup and overall population. This enables the use of that social security number for a long time with no worries.

The problems with postmortem identity theft arise when creditors notice this person is amassing a lot of debt. There will be a lot of confusion between family members and creditors as they try to sort this all out.

If there are inheritances, the creditors may try to get paid from that lump of money before any family members receive their share. This is very unfair but that's exactly what the identity thief wants.

By the time all this has happened, odds are the thief has moved on to another victim. To protect yourself, make sure to notify the Social Security Administration as well as all creditors and consumer reporting companies.
If they know this person is deceased, they won't issue credit cards and notify you immediately if that social security number gets used. Read more...

Recovering From Identity Theft

Identity theft is often in the media. Someone gets another person's personal information, ruins their credit, steals all the money from their bank account, and really ruins that person's life for years.

Most media topics cover the financial and law enforcement aspects but what about the fear and pain that person goes through. This can be emotionally devastating and may lead to thoughts of suicide in extreme cases.

Imagine if you have been saving a little bit each month for years to finally be able to purchase something you have always wanted. You are working very hard for this reward and you deserve it.

One day you wake up and your bank account is empty and the bills start coming in the mail. The sense of helplessness and loss would be terrible.

You may never know who did this to you. Where did they even get the information? From far away or from your own home? The ability to trust others will be hard to get back for a while and you may need serious help to recover from what has happened.

There are many different places that can help you recover financially and emotionally from identity theft. Of course the first step is always to call the police and often they will refer you to a counseling service that can be very beneficial.

Don't just dismiss this and throw the business card in the trash. The stress that can build up may eventually become overwhelming so by talking to a counselor about the entire event and developing a plan of action for the future can really stabilize you.

Supportive friends and family are also very important to have around. It could take many months to sort out the financial areas of identity theft but much longer for the emotional scars to heal. Read more...

Identity Theft Victims

Everyone has heard about identity theft and what happens to the victims. Who are the victims though? How did they even get into that terrible situation?
Most of us naturally assume this could never happen to us because, let's face it, we live pretty boring lives. Why would anyone want to be us right?

It is this thinking that puts everyone at risk.

The usual goal of the average identity thief is to get cool stuff. They might be unskilled in a trade and make just enough money to skim by in life and decide they will risk jail time in the pursuit of living good for even just a little while.

Many identity thefts get solved because the thieves aren't terribly good at it, or they learned how to do it from some other criminal.
Most stores in the US have some type of surveillance so once the thief maxes out a credit card, they are tracked down within a couple of months. They might enjoy their new Playstation 3 for a while but in the end, they will spend a long time in jail.

So how do you know if you are prime victim? Identity thieves look for easy targets. If they wanted to put effort into something, they'd have a real job.
Thieves look for average people that wouldn't expect it to happen to them. The elderly are prime targets for identity theft. Many elderly people don't have many friends and love to talk to just about anyone.

On the phone or even in person, someone can offer to help them with finances or pretend they won a contest or inheritance and if the person is trusting and believes the con artist, they might give out their personal information.

Not just elderly people do this. You may know someone or even be someone who is naturally trusting of other people. Educate yourself and loved ones on how these thieves operate and you will be a lot safer. Read more...