What Items Do I Send to the Credit Bureau When Someone Dies?

While a death in the family can be emotionally destabilizing, you should act swiftly to notify the major credit bureaus and stop thieves from trying to use the deceased's financial data. Scam artists often use a deceased's private information for credit fraud. You should send the bureaus documents identifying the deceased and proof that the person is dead.

Identification

Write a letter stating that the person in question is deceased and request a "deceased alert," according to Jim Wang of Bargaineering. A deceased alert notifies creditors not to approve a loan or line of credit unless it is a relative. In the letter, include the deceased's full legal name, most recent known address, date of birth and date of death. Most importantly, to prove death you must include a copy of the death certificate.

Address

For the fastest response and highest guarantee of safeguarding the deceased's financial information, you should send the letter and documents to the headquarters of all three national credit bureaus -- Experian, Trans Union and Equifax. You can contact these bureaus by phone or online for the proper mailing address or fax number. Always check with the credit bureau first before mailing your documents to ensure receipt of your items. You should opt to send the documents via certified mail if appropriate.

Considerations

The credit bureaus will find out about the death eventually because they share a database with the Social Security Administration, but it can take several months before the SSA updates its database to reflect the death of a citizen. If you wait and someone finds out about the death, she could use the deceased's social security number to apply for credit and cause complications in the deceased's estate.

Tip

In addition to contacting the credit bureaus, add the deceased's name to the Direct Marketing Association's, or DMA, Deceased Do Not Contact list to stop pre-approved credit card offers from arriving in the mail. If a thief intercepts a pre-approved offer, he could take out a new line of credit should the deceased's credit history qualify for the account. Furnish the DMA with the name, address, phone number and email address of the deceased -- the DMA charges a $1 fee for this service, as of the date of publication.