No one is immune from identity theft, even the deceased. San Diego based ID Analytics released the results of a ground-breaking study today that indicates nearly 2.5 million deceased individuals are victims of identity theft every year.
http://liarcatchers.com/identity_theft_investigation.html
ID Analytics is a firm that screens applications for credit, utility and cellular companies. With billions of pieces of data in its massive server, it has the ability to analyze fraudulent patterns and lets a company know if an application may be suspect. For the study, the firm considered 100 million applications filed during the first three months of 2011. It compared various pieces of data including the Social Security Administration Death Master File. Unfortunately, even the Master File is not a complete record, so the numbers reported by ID Analytics may possibly be even higher.
Experts in identity theft trends know that criminals also target the seriously or terminally ill. They work in nursing homes and hospices, collecting information that is easily accessible. The study hinted that the problem is worse than expected. There were 2 million cases of Social Security numbers being used for credit applications just prior to the victim’s death. In fact, some of those “criminals” were the family members who wanted to keep receiving benefit checks.
Criminals also target deceased children whose death may not be reported to the Social Security Administration. The perpetrators join support groups, read through obituaries, and even regularly visit cemeteries looking in the infant’s section. They even use genealogical websites and other public records.
If a family member, no matter the age, has passed away it is important to take a series of steps to notify the proper agencies including the DMV, the Social Security Administration and the credit reporting agencies. There is a free guide at ID Theft Info Source for both parents and family members to use.
