HOUSTON – There are many different reasons to stay on top of your credit report, but many people don’t check to see if they have been listed as deceased.
How does that even happen?
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Unfortunately, criminals take advantage of certain situations involving a deceased loved one to commit fraud and abuse that person’s good name and credit.
An example would be if someone associated with the account, such as a spouse or co-signer, passes away.
How to find out if you’re listed as deceased on your credit history
According to Experian, one or more of your creditors may have reported an account or accounts on your credit report as being associated with someone who died.
There are two ways to determine if your credit report suggests you may be listed as deceased. The first applies only to individual accounts; the second applies to your entire credit history, Experian reports.
What should you do next?
If this is the case, you will need to send a letter to Experian that includes your full name, current mailing address, Social Security number, date of birth, and a statement confirming that you are not deceased.
You can upload the documentation online, or you can mail it to: Experian, P.O. Box 4500, Allen, TX 75013.
From there, Experian may request a notarized letter to confirm your identity. Once confirmed, the credit bureau will update your Experian credit report and notify the data furnisher.
The person impacted can also reach out to any data furnishers who are incorrectly reporting them as deceased and ask them to update the account to reflect that they are, in fact, alive.
What if a lender is reporting you as deceased?
When a lender reports an account as being associated with a deceased person, it only applies to that specific account and not to the entire credit report.
What if your Social Security number is reported as deceased?
According to Experian, this can happen when the Social Security Administration mistakenly lists your Social Security number as deceased, which would affect your entire credit report.
If that is the case, you will need to contact your local Social Security office directly to correct the information.
Then, Experian will need a letter from the Social Security Administration confirming that they have corrected their records. You can submit this information either online or by mail.
You will also need to include:
- A copy of a government-issued identification card, such as a driver’s license, state ID, or military ID.
- A copy of a utility bill, bank statement, or insurance statement to further verify your identity.
Once the documentation has been received and verified, Experian will then remove the deceased indicator from your credit history.