[Michael G.]

I have a friend here in tv that lost his wife.
He ask me if he needs to contact all three credit bureaus on his wife's
behalf even though her credit was frozen with all three.

Any Ideas?

[villagetinker]

Under the heading of been there and done that, I would advise him to contact all 3 credit bureaus to report her death, he may need to provide copies of the death certificate, or originals. The credit bureaus will then advise companies that use their service that the wife has died. In theory he should not have to contact all of the credit/debit cards about this.
Also, make sure the credit freeze is in place, when my previous wife passed away there were a lot of instances where bad people would look at obits and open accounts based on that info.

[coralway]

No, not the 3 bureaus, but any store cards that were in her name as well as any bank cards. So, you should get several extra copies of her death certificate.

[It's Hot There]

Simple, no need to contact.

[Toymeister]

No need. The Social Security Administration has already recorded her death. No one will be getting credit under that SSN ever again.

All three credit bureaus use SSA's death records. It happens in days, not weeks, not months.

[metoo21]

I would also notify the Florida Department of Highway and Safety to notify them of her passing and include her driver's license #. Also ask that she be removed from the voter registration roll.

[Michael G.]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

No need. The Social Security Administration has already recorded her death. No one will be getting credit under that SSN ever again.

All three credit bureaus use SSA's death records. It happens in days, not weeks, not months.

This seems to be the general opinion on this, Thanks

[nancyre]

Sample notification of death letter to credit reporting agencies: This will accepted by Executor, attorney or spouse

[Date]
[Your full name]
[Your mailing address]
Dear [Name of credit bureau],
I am writing to inform you of the death of [full name]. My name is [full name] and I am the deceased's [state your relationship]. I am the [executor/administrator/legal authority] regarding [decedent's first name] affairs. I have included documentation showing this relationship. I am requesting that [his/her/their] file be updated and that their death be listed in their file. Here is [his/her] information:
Name: [Their full name]
Date of birth: [date]
Social Security Number: [Number]
Address: [Address]
Date of death: [date]
I have enclosed a copy of the death certificate. Thank you for your help. If you need to contact me, please call me at [phone number] or email me at [email].
Best,
[Your name]

Once you've gathered this documentation, here's where you need to mail it:
Experian death notification address: Experian's Consumer Assistance Center, P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 7501 (or upload it here).
TransUnion death notification address: TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016.
Equifax death notification address: Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 105139, Atlanta, GA 30348-5139.

[MikeN]

You do not have to contact them. Sorry for his loss

[mrkorn12@aol.com]

Just an FYI-- there are 4 consumer Credit Reporting Agencies. The fourth is Innovis. Innovis is the 4th largest credit bureau in the United States. Here is general information from their Website-- which is the same as to how the other three major Credit Reporting agencies work.

Security Freeze
Do you want to limit access to your Innovis Credit Report?
A Security Freeze prevents your Innovis Credit Report from being accessed by most third parties in connection with an application for new credit. With a Security Freeze in place, you will need to take special steps when you wish to apply for any type of credit. Third parties that still have access to your Innovis Credit Report when a Security Freeze is in place include:

Companies that have current accounts or relationships with you
Collection agencies acting on behalf of companies that have a current account or existing relationship with you
Credit monitoring companies
State or local agencies including law enforcement or child support agencies
Federal government agencies as permitted under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Innovis Security Freeze Options
You can request a Security Freeze or manage an existing Security Freeze:

Online: Submit the Security Freeze Request Online form.
Phone: 1-866-712-4546
Mail: Complete the Security Freeze Request by Mail form.
A Security Freeze will be placed on your Innovis Credit Report after your request has been received and your identity has been verified. You will receive a confirmation letter by mail that contains a 10-digit Security Freeze PIN. You can request a replacement Security Freeze PIN or a lift PIN online, by phone, or by mail.

Learn More
Visit Innovis' Learning Center for more information about Security Freezes and your rights as a consumer.

[Mrmean58]

If your friend's wife was getting social security, once the Soc Sec office is notified of her passing, her number will be reported as of a deceased person. With that being said it does not hurt to have a warning placed on the three bureaus . With my 30+ years of underwriting credit requests, my wife and I plan on closing any joint accts upon one of us passing to further protect the survivor. Yes it's a lot of work but it's a lot less work than proving fraudulent charges aren't yours if you become a victim of ID theft. There are lots of scammers out there taking advantage of folks.

[liv4summer]

I did this for my step mom. You send a letter to one of the three companies and the others get advised. You also call each place where a card was opened.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Originally Posted by Toymeister

No need. The Social Security Administration has already recorded her death. No one will be getting credit under that SSN ever again.

All three credit bureaus use SSA's death records. It happens in days, not weeks, not months.

I agree with this response as well, and best to delay the obituary announcement in any papers for about a week to allow for any weekly data to get transmitted and loaded into government systems. This is why any SS checks automatically stop after death most times.

One issue to be concerned about is a social security check being deposited in the deceased's account electronically after death due to information crossing during check processing. You may be required to return the last payment.

So new inquiries / accounts should be protected, however, existing accounts are still at risk and those should be closed with documentation asap, so close any and all credit cards for risk mitigation. We went online with my dad's / mother in law credit cards and closed the accounts, so now my mom alive does not have any outstanding. PSA: we still get snail mail offering my wife's dead parents all kinds of savings and offerings, based upon the sales of existing account lists into the future.

Medical debt / expenses on credit cards / accounts will be need to be managed manually with estate checks or other manual payments, as some medical debt processing takes time to process reimbursements to calculate the final bill.

Start any estate probate processes as soon as legally possible to also minimize the risk of claims against the estate to legitimate claims, as my aunt and uncle's estate was taken to court with a "napkin claim" by a very shady neighbor, a very shady attorney, and a very accommodating court system. The person actually took many items from their house being a "nice neighbor" who had an emergency key to the house.

the estate was not looted but lost money due to attorney fees. And my dad as the executor in his 80's was not the best person to be driving 2 hours each way to defend an estate against fraud. . . .

Death, taxes and fraud are now the big three events which everyone faces.

good luck