Identity theft protection services are needed because believe it or not identity theft has moved to the dead. The scam artists search the obituaries where they find valuable information that gives them a jump start at identity theft. Sometimes these scammers are not just out to take the money and run. Here are a few things that you can do to help minimize the possibility of identity theft of a deceased family member. Notify all 3 credit reporting agencies of the deceased and have them put a deceased flag alert on the account.

The most common use is credit card fraud. Armed with personal information such as a name, date of birth, and Social Security number, thieves can impersonate someone else in order to open new lines of credit. Besides opening new lines of credit, identity thieves can use their ill-gotten information to take control of existing accounts. With the increased growth of those that try to prevent identity theft throughout the world, including the U. S., it pays to be vigilant. They do this by using their victim’s personal information to verify the thief’s identity as the real account holder.

It seems as if every time you turn on the TV news these days, there is some story at least once or twice a week about some new identity theft scam. A thief gets enough of your personal information to be able to open accounts in your name. It’s really as simple as that. The first time you are aware that your identity has been compromised is when you get a phone call from one or more of the accounts inquiring as to your plans for your very high and very past due balance on an account that you didn’t even know you had.

One of the ways in which you many realize that you are a victim of identity theft is when you apply the credit and you are turned down. One of the ways in which identity fraudsters can cause problems for you and your family is by applying for credit – for instance for loans or credit cards, and then use the money they get from this to create further debt for you for which you are responsible. As soon as you are aware that any wrongdoings have happened to you, you should immediately contact all bank and other financial providers in order to alert them to the potential problem.