What You Need To Know About Obituaries & Identity Theft

When a loved one passes away, you want to ensure that the obituary you write is accurate and complete. You want to create an obituary that contains no errors and includes all the pertinent information so that people can remember and mourn for your loved one properly. Unfortunately, all too many people are worried that in providing complete information, they are opening up the doors for identity theft. Want to know how to avoid this? These tips will help you write an online obituary:

1. Notify banks and credit bureaus about the death.

You can easily prevent identity theft by ensuring that the proper authorities are notified that your loved one has passed away. This may prevent somebody from opening new accounts in his or her name.

2. Do not print the address of your home in the obituary.

Even if you are having a wake or event at your home following a funeral, never print the address on the Internet or in the newspaper with the obituary. Additionally, this is smart because it does not advertise the home as being empty, especially during a graveside service.

3. Write a short obituary and a long obituary.

Your short obituary can omit birthdays, middle names, and other important information, making it safer to post online. Your longer obituary could be one kept for the family members and genealogical purposes, stored securely.

4. Omit the deceased's maiden name.

With a maiden name, somebody may be able to steal your loved one's identity under a name that is no longer in use.

5. Continue to monitor your loved one's credit report.

Even after your loved one has passed, it is smart to ask for his or her annual credit report. There are even websites that offer weekly or monthly checks to ensure that everything is up to date.

6. Don't list your loved one's date of birth.

The date of birth is one piece of information that identity thieves use to secure credit cards and loans. It is important that you avoid listing the date of birth but rather only the age in an online obituary.

7. Cancel your loved one's driver's license or ID card.

If you cancel your loved one's license, it will prevent somebody else from being easily able to obtain a new one, which can often be done online.

Understanding identity theft will keep your family member's identity safe. Keeping pertinent information out of the obituary is a great place to start.Talk to an obituary service, like Near Frontier LLC, for more help.