Where do you go when your dead?
Brian called us in a panic! He was receiving multiple inquiries from Social Security, Medicare, IRS, his bank, his pension, and credit card companies! All these entities were asking for certified copies of his death certificate! He was alarmed and confused all at the same time and immediately thought of one office he could call for help! American Retirement Advisors. Brian remembered that we offered to help him if he ever had any questions about retirement or any problems or issues.
We suggested he come into the office and bring any documentation for these “requests” he was receiving. Upon his arrival, we discovered a disturbing pattern. Someone was trying to alter his income and redirect it to someone else.
We asked about the usual list of possible suspects. An angry ex-spouse? A family member who was mad at him and just wanted to cause him aggravation? A goofy friend who thought this might be a great joke to play on him? Or more simply, just a case of I.D. fraud? When reviewing the issue, we asked who would benefit from this type of action? More importantly, how can he fix this? How do you prove you’re still alive? All these entities have put a hold on his income and benefits until the issue is cleared up! He now has no income to pay his bills!
What to do? First, make sure that the government is clear that you are alive. Take all documentation to your local Social Security office. These items need to include your driver’s license, birth certificate, divorce papers, passport, or basically anything that proves you are you!
Next, contact all the credit bureaus and place a lock and password on all your accounts. Same with your bank and credit card companies. You can also set up accounts with providers like “LifeLock.”
Set up passwords with your Social Security and Medicare accounts. This can be done online at www.socialsecurity.gov and www.medicare.gov.
Visit your bank in person and let them know that there is fraud occurring with your identity and get them involved on your behalf as well.
We also assisted Brian in contacting his retirement accounts, and with these remedies in place, he was on the right path of proving “I’m alive”!
If you’re not doing so already, make sure you check your bank account on a regular basis as well as performing bank reconciliations monthly at a minimum. Call your credit card providers in advance when you are traveling and let them know where you are visiting so that they can be aware of credit card charges from somewhere that’s not normal for you. It’s the old adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.