At a Glance-
- Thieves target the weeks right after a death, when no one is watching the accounts.
- The first steps cost nothing and need no court order: a careful obituary, a secured home, a protected phone line, and controlled death certificates.
- Credit bureau notices, mail control, and account changes follow as soon as someone has authority.
- Never "close" a retirement account. Notify the custodian and let the beneficiaries handle the transfer.
- Keep a log. If fraud surfaces later, it shows the estate acted promptly.
Why the Weeks After a Death Are Dangerous
Identity theft does not end with death. The weeks after a death are among the most vulnerable for a person's personal and financial information. Criminals read obituaries, scan public records, and exploit the delays that come while a family grieves and an estate is organized. A stolen Social Security number, a redirected piece of mail, or an overlooked online account can be used to open credit, file a false tax return, drain accounts, or even attempt a forged deed.
The reason is simple. The victim can no longer watch the accounts or dispute charges, and the family is overwhelmed. The longer the gap between the death and the lockdown, the bigger the opportunity. Acting early is far easier than unwinding fraudulent accounts, defending collection actions, or recovering stolen funds later.
Who Has Authority, and When
A fiduciary owes the estate reasonable care, loyalty, and confidentiality. In practice, reasonable care includes prompt, sensible steps to keep the decedent's identity and assets out of a thief's hands.
The catch is authority. A power of attorney ends at death, and so does a guardian's authority to act. After a death, the people who can act are the successor trustee, for assets held in a trust, and the executor, administrator, or commissioner appointed by the probate court. In Ohio, the court may appoint an executor, an administrator, or a commissioner; the paper is Letters of Authority. In Missouri, the he court may appoint an executor or an administrator; the court paper is the court paper is Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration.
If there is a trust, the successor trustee should be able to monitor, track, and document activity on the trust's assets right away. If that isn't sufficient, for whatever reason, consider early the appointment of a commissioner, administrator, or executor through the probate court, but seek legal counsel. Common reasons include assets outside the trust, an institution that insists on court papers, and the post office, which forwards a deceased person's mail only for an appointed executor or administrator.
Until someone is appointed, the family can still do a great deal. The steps below are grouped by timing, starting with the ones that need no authority at all.
The First 72 Hours
These steps need no court order.
- Write a careful obituary. Leave out the full date of birth, the mother's maiden name, the street address, and other details that answer common security questions. Never publish the home address alongside the service times.
- Guard the home during services. Burglars watch for funerals and visitations. Have someone stay at the house.
- Secure the residence. If the home will be vacant, tell the insurer, because many policies limit coverage after a period of vacancy. Remove valuables and papers, change or add locks, use timers and outside lighting, and consider cameras. When the house is listed for sale, avoid lockboxes that hold keys.
- Collect the wallet, checkbooks, and cards. Lock them up. Note who else had access to cards, keys, or passwords, such as caregivers, cleaners, or relatives.
- Keep the phone line active. The decedent's cell number often receives the login codes for bank and email accounts. Keep paying the bill, and ask the carrier for a port-out PIN or number lock to block SIM-swap theft.
- Secure devices, but don't wipe them. Phones, computers, and tablets hold photos, records, authentication apps, and sometimes crypto keys. Wiping them can destroy estate property. Store them safely until the contents are preserved and the fiduciary approves.
- Control the death certificates. Many states print the Social Security number on the certificate. Order only the certified copies you need in a single request, and have them delivered to the funeral home or the fiduciary rather than to an empty house. You should request return of the originals, even if mailed, but in the latter case enclose a self-addressed stamp envelope for return. Keep track of who has one. Ohio law says the certificate contains the SSN. In practice, copies issued to the general public omit it for five years unless the requester is eligible and asks for it.
- Confirm that Social Security knows. The funeral home usually reports the death to the Social Security Administration. Benefits are paid a month behind, so the payment that arrives in the month after death must be returned. Don't spend it.
The First Two Weeks
- Notify the credit bureaus. Write to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Include a copy of the death certificate and proof of your authority. Ask that the file be marked "Deceased – Do Not Issue Credit," and request a copy of the decedent's credit report. Each bureau says it passes the notice to the others. Write to all three anyway, and confirm. Bureaus accept a spouse or an executor; ask whether they will accept a successor trustee.
- Don't forget the fourth bureau. Innovis will add a deceased statement on request.
- Ask about a freeze. The deceased notice is the main tool. Some bureaus will also place a security freeze on a decedent's file. Ask.
- Flag the specialty agencies. ChexSystems and Early Warning Services track checking and savings accounts. NCTUE tracks phone, cable, and utility accounts. Send each a death certificate and proof of authority, and ask for a deceased notation or a freeze.
- Review the credit reports. Look for unfamiliar accounts and recent inquiries. They may show that fraud is already under way.
- Take control of the mail. This step needs an appointed executor or administrator. The Postal Service redirects a deceased person's mail only in person, and only with proof of appointment; a death certificate alone is not enough (USPS). Ask the post office about any holds or forwarding orders the family did not request.
- Stop the junk mail. Register the decedent on the DMAchoice Deceased Do Not Contact list to cut off pre-approved credit offers.
- Sign up for property fraud alerts. Many Ohio counties will email you when any document is recorded under a name you enroll, including Franklin, Summit, and Stark. Enroll both the decedent's name and the trust's name. Check with your county recorder or fiscal officer.
- Cancel the driver's license and passport. Surrender the license or state ID to the BMV so a duplicate can't be issued. Mail the passport to the State Department with a copy of the death certificate to cancel it.
- Cancel automatic payments. Stop subscriptions, automatic payments, and recurring transfers that are no longer needed.
The First 90 Days
Most of these steps need formal authority.
- Get an EIN/TIN. The estate needs its own Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). So does a trust that became irrevocable at death. Open estate or trust accounts under the new number and move assets promptly. This shortens the time assets can be reached through the decedent's old information. For help, see our articles: "Sorting the confusion between SSNs,TINs, ITINs, and EINs" and "Retain an Attorney or Accountant to Seek and Obtain a Taxpayer Identification Number for a Trust,"
- File Form 56. IRS Form 56 tells the IRS who the fiduciary is.
- Handle joint accounts correctly. A joint account with survivorship belongs to the survivor. Retitle it in the survivor's name; it does not go to the estate.
- Retitle estate and trust accounts. Individual accounts with no beneficiary designation move to the estate or the trust. Ask each institution to mark the decedent's records "Deceased."
- Do not close retirement accounts. IRAs, 401(k)s, and annuities pass to the named beneficiaries. Cashing one out can trigger all the income tax at once and wipe out the beneficiaries' options. Notify the custodian, and let the beneficiaries handle the transfer. Investment accounts should generally be transferred, not sold in a hurry.
- Close the credit cards. Close individual credit cards, ask that each be marked "Deceased," and destroy the cards.
- Notify insurers, pension plans, and annuity companies.
- Notify other agencies as needed. These include the Department of Veterans Affairs, professional licensing boards, and, where relevant, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Voter rolls are usually updated from death records; contact the board of elections if they aren't.
- Secure the online accounts. Email is the gateway to password resets. Keep the main email account open only as long as it is needed for login codes, then close it. Change passwords and turn on two-factor authentication for any account that must stay open during administration, and close the rest. Memorialize or remove social media profiles; public profiles supply personal details and photos thieves use. For more, see my articles on digital assets in your estate plan and the digital assets inventory instructions.
Through the First Year
- File the final return promptly. A filed return is the best defense against a fraudulent refund claim. If the IRS rejects an e-filed return because the Social Security number was already used, file on paper with Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit.
- Watch the IRS mail. Look for notices about returns no one in the family filed.
- Review medical statements. Check Medicare Summary Notices and supplemental-plan statements for services billed after the date of death. Report them to Medicare at 1-800-MEDICARE.
- Recheck the credit reports. Pull them periodically for at least a year.
- Report fraud quickly. If fraud surfaces, report it at IdentityTheft.gov and to local police. Send the creditor a written dispute with a copy of the death certificate.
- Keep a log. Record every institution notified, the date, the method, and the confirmation number. If fraud surfaces later, the log shows the estate acted diligently.
The free notices above block most new accounts. The tools below add an early warning. Some are free; some are paid subscriptions.
Tools That Watch for Fraud After a Death
| Tool | What it watches or blocks | Cost | Who can use it | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equifax, Experian, TransUnion | “Deceased” notice on the credit file blocks new credit; you can request the decedent’s report | Free | Spouse or executor; send a death certificate and proof of authority by mail | Each bureau says it shares the notice with the others. Write to all three anyway, and confirm. |
| Innovis | Fourth national credit bureau; adds a deceased statement to the file | Free | Spouse or legal representative; court papers if not named on the death certificate | Often overlooked because it isn’t one of the “big three” |
| ChexSystems and Early Warning Services | Checking and savings account applications and history | Free | Fiduciary with a death certificate and proof of authority | No published process for decedents; call or write and ask for a deceased notation or a security freeze |
| NCTUE | New phone, cable, and utility accounts | Free | Fiduciary with a death certificate and proof of authority | No published process for decedents; ask for a freeze |
| County property fraud alerts (for example, Franklin, Summit, Stark) | Emails you when any document is recorded under a name you enroll | Generally free | Anyone; enroll the decedent’s name and the trust’s name | Covers one county only; people with the same name trigger false alerts |
| Home Title Lock | Monitors title and mortgage records; offers help restoring title after fraud | $19.95 a month, or $227.40 a year | Homeowners; ask whether it will enroll a property held by an estate or trust | Despite the name, it does not lock the title. It alerts. A free county alert may cover the same ground. |
| EverSafe | Flags unusual activity across bank, investment, and credit card accounts, credit files, and real estate | Monthly subscription | Marketed to older adults, families, and fiduciaries | Built for monitoring during life. Confirm it can be used during estate administration before you subscribe. |
| Bank and brokerage alerts | Texts or emails for withdrawals, transfers, address changes, and new payees | Free | The fiduciary, once the accounts are in the estate’s or trust’s name | Turn on every alert type offered, not just the defaults |
| DMAchoice Deceased Do Not Contact | Removes the name from marketing lists, including pre-approved credit offers | Free online; $1 by mail | Family member or fiduciary | Can take up to three months to take effect |
Most commercial monitoring services were designed for living customers. Before paying for one, confirm that it will enroll a deceased person's name, an estate, or a trust. Prices and terms are as posted by each provider and may change.
Bottom Line
Families already dealing with grief should not have to become full-time fraud investigators. You don't need to do everything on the first day. Start with the free steps that need no authority: the obituary, the house, the phone, and the death certificates. Then the credit bureaus and the mail. Then the accounts. If the trust can't reach everything, seek a court appointment early rather than late, BUT CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY; there are many estates that benefit from waiting six months from the date of death to open. That's a whole different article.
A focused effort in the first days and weeks prevents the far larger problems that come when identity theft is discovered months later. It protects both the decedent's dignity and the estate's finances, and it leaves a clear record that the fiduciary acted with care.
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