Obituary Theft: What You Don’t Know Can Cost You

It’s one of those stories that sounds too bad to be true: Criminals perusing the obituaries in order to rob or scam the relatives of the person who died. Unfortunately, true it is. Snopes.com gathered several examples of law-breakers who preyed on the loved ones of a deceased person.

Obituary thieves gain access easily while the family attends the funeral service
Credit: sheknows.com

There are several types of obituary theft. The first is fairly straightforward. The criminals note the address and the date and time of the funeral or memorial service. Then, while all of the family is out of the house attending the services, they sneak in and steal whatever they can get their hands on.

Another type of crime is the scam. Criminals look through the obituaries for dead people who were older and who were survived by a spouse. They contact the spouse posing as a company to whom the person who died supposedly owed money. They say that if they are not paid immediately, they will file a lawsuit or even go to the police. The grieving spouse often pays the scammers just to make the problem go away.

A similar scam involves the criminals calling the surviving spouse and telling them that the person who died left behind a large life insurance policy. In order to collect, the spouse must pay a processing fee. Of course, there is no life insurance policy, and the fee goes directly into the thieves’ pockets.

Another type of obituary theft that has become increasingly common in the world of social media is identity theft of the person who died, also known as ghosting. Gleaning information from the obituary, and often various computer sites as well, identity thieves open credit lines or access existing accounts in the dead person’s name.

Use Care in Crafting an Obituary

Does all this mean that your loved one shouldn’t have an obituary? Of course not. However, according to MyIDCare, it’s wise to hold back some information. For instance, avoid mentioning your loved one’s middle name, date of birth, birthplace, mother’s maiden name – a common security question – and home address. To be absolutely safe, consider asking a friend or neighbor to stay in the home during the funeral.

Cyber thieves can steal a dead relative’s identity using information in an obituary
Credit: Christoph Scholz via Flickr

There are also some steps you can take before the obituary is published to help protect yourself from ghosting. The first is to close out joint accounts and credit cards. You can open new accounts and credit cards in your name only. Notify the three credit bureaus of your loved one’s death. Also, notify the Social Security Administration and ask them to deactivate your loved one’s social security number. If your loved one left behind a large estate or if there are complicating factors like trusts involved, check with an attorney to make sure you are covering all your bases.

If you notice charges or payments that you did not authorize, contact the police and the financial institution immediately.

Obituary theft is a cruel crime. It piles stress and pain onto those already grieving. Luckily, there are steps you can take to allow you to memorialize your loved one without compromising your financial security.