The Deceased at Risk of Identity Theft

Six individuals may be looking at some hefty fines for tax refund fraud of the departed.  According to the authorities, over 490,000 social security numbers have been stolen from the dead and then collected in the form of their tax refunds.  The way this can take place is through finding the social security numbers of the deceased online, where they are posted after death which is gained by the SFC. The social security administration releases of the departed’s information to hospitals and other organizations. After this, the frauds are able to take care of the rest, claiming the dead parties as a dependent when they file their own taxes.  It is estimated that around 2.5 million departed individuals have their identities stolen each year, in line with that the six people involved in this recent scam executed there 490,000 from between now and 2008. In a recent study done by the Treasury Department, the inspector general of tax administration stated that over the next 5 years the US will distribute over 26 billion dollars to both living and dead fraudulent tax filings.

One way it was stated to keep your departed family safe from such invasions is to keep a close eye on their credit reports and other financial documents, which require a death certificate to verify.

Taking caution with these dealings and having a strong legal backing will help insure the safety of you and your loved ones’ identities.