Hacking the Deceased: Identity Theft Risks After Death and How Families Can Prevent It

In the first days after a death, families do what families have always done: they gather, they make calls, they try to honor a life, and they try to keep daily life from collapsing. What has changed is everything that now lives online—and how quickly bad actors can exploit it. If you have heard the term ghosting identity theft, it is a blunt way of describing something that feels even blunter in real life: criminals using a deceased person’s identity to open credit, redirect money, hijack accounts, or run scams that pull grieving relatives into a second crisis.

This article is written for real households, not perfect ones. You do not need to become a cybersecurity expert. You need a handful of high-impact steps, taken in the right order, that reduce risk while you’re already carrying grief. Along the way, we’ll connect the dots to modern funeral planning decisions families are making more often—especially around cremation and memorial choices. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to be 63.4% in 2025, and cremation is expected to continue rising. The Cremation Association of North America reports a U.S. cremation rate of 61.8% in 2024. When more families are arranging services, receiving ashes, and managing memorials on flexible timelines, protecting identity and accounts becomes part of protecting the person’s legacy—not just their paperwork.

Why “ghosting” happens after a death

Most identity theft after death isn’t a Hollywood-style hack. It’s a series of small openings that add up: an obituary with identifying details, a mailbox full of statements, an email inbox that still receives password resets, a phone number that can be hijacked, or an unused login that no one thinks to secure. A fraudster does not need your loved one’s whole life story; they need enough data points to sound plausible, pass basic verification, or convince a relative to click a link.

Two modern forces make this worse. First, personal data is widely exposed through breaches and data broker ecosystems, which means criminals can often start with a partial profile and “complete” it using public notices or mail. Second, more end-of-life administration happens digitally. NFDA’s 2025 Cremation & Burial Report release notes that nearly 36% of member firms already offer online cremation arrangements, with more planning to add it. That shift is helpful for access and convenience, but it also means families are more likely to be handling sensitive details in accounts, emails, and online forms while emotionally exhausted.

The good news is that the prevention steps are mostly administrative, not technical. You are closing doors, reducing public identifiers, and creating a clean trail of authority for institutions that need to verify who is allowed to act.

The risk points families miss because they’re grieving

When people search prevent fraud after death, they usually want to know where the danger actually is—so they can spend effort where it matters, not everywhere. These are the most common pressure points:

• Mail and address changes (statements, replacement cards, checks, tax forms).
• Obituaries and public service announcements (names, birth dates, hometown details, family relationships).
• Email as the master key (password resets, MFA codes, account recovery links).
• Phone numbers tied to two-factor authentication (SIM swap risk and “text me a code” takeovers).
• Credit files that are not yet flagged as deceased (new credit applications or “synthetic” identity attempts).

If your family is also managing cremation arrangements, memorial purchases, or travel, the risk window can widen simply because attention is divided. That is not a failure. It is a predictable human reality—and the plan below is designed for that reality.

A calm, step-by-step plan to protect the estate

Secure the home and the mail first

Mail is both a burglary signal and an identity signal. If a mailbox overflows, it advertises an empty home. If mail is stolen, it can include account numbers, partial Social Security details, and the kind of “official-looking” documents scammers love. Start with two simple moves: make sure the mailbox is locked or monitored, and reduce unattended delivery during the service window.

If you are coordinating service days, travel, or multiple gatherings, Funeral.com’s guide Obituary Security: How to Prevent Burglary and Identity Theft During a Funeral walks through practical steps for protecting the home and managing public details. If you need a broader “triage” view of what matters in the first week, this can pair well with your own checklist: the goal is to keep this from becoming one more overwhelming project.

Make the obituary supportive, not searchable

Families deserve to share a life publicly if they want to. The goal is not secrecy; it’s reducing unnecessary identifiers that help criminals stitch together a profile. As a rule of thumb, keep the tribute rich and the data light. Avoid publishing a full street address. Be cautious with full birth dates. Consider whether a middle name, maiden name, or very specific hometown identifiers add meaning for your community—or mainly add searchability for strangers.

If you want wording guidance that keeps things warm without oversharing, start with the Funeral.com obituary security guide above and keep details like exact travel plans or “the house will be empty” implications out of public posts.

Lock down email and the phone number as a priority, not an afterthought

If you are dealing with hacking deceased accounts, email is usually the first battlefield because it controls resets for banking, shopping, social media, utilities, and subscriptions. If your family has lawful access (for example, via legacy access tools, prior consent, or proper estate authority), prioritize stabilizing the email account by changing the password, enabling stronger two-factor authentication where possible, and reviewing recovery options so a third party cannot redirect them.

Phone numbers matter because they often receive verification codes. A SIM swap or account takeover can let someone intercept those codes and reset logins. If you have access to the mobile carrier account, ask the carrier about added protections against unauthorized number transfers. You do not need to share more information than required; you need a clear, documented path for your authority as executor or authorized family representative.

If you want a practical map of what platforms typically require, Funeral.com’s Digital Accounts After a Death: A Practical Closure Checklist is a helpful companion. It is normal for companies to ask for proof of death and proof of authority. That is not them being difficult; it is them trying to prevent fraud.

Notify credit bureaus and slow down new credit

Credit is a common target because it can be exploited quietly. If you are thinking notify credit bureaus death, you are in the right territory. The most practical approach is to notify a nationwide credit bureau and ensure the file is updated to reflect the death. TransUnion notes that when you report the death to one of the nationwide credit reporting agencies, the other two may be contacted on your behalf, which can reduce redundant paperwork. See TransUnion for an overview of how reporting works and why it can help reduce fraud risk.

If you prefer a “what documents do I need” explainer, Experian outlines a straightforward process that typically starts with a death certificate and identifying information. Your goal is to reduce the chance of new credit being opened while the estate is being settled, and to make it easier to detect suspicious activity if it has already begun.

Notify banks and financial institutions early—because they move fast for a reason

Families often worry that notifying a bank will “freeze everything.” In reality, banks typically act quickly after notification to reduce fraud risk and verify who is authorized to act. That can feel abrupt, but it is often protective. If your checklist includes close bank accounts after death, start by gathering what institutions commonly ask for: certified death certificate, your ID, and proof of authority if you are acting for the estate.

Funeral.com’s Notifying Banks After a Death: A Simple Preparation List is built for this exact moment. It helps you prepare so you are not stuck in repeated calls that ask for “one more document” each time.

Report the death to the right agencies, and stop benefits that create fraud exposure

Government systems are another place where bad actors look for openings—especially around benefits payments and tax filings. The Social Security Administration explains that funeral homes generally report deaths, but if a funeral home isn’t involved or doesn’t report it for some reason, families should contact SSA. See SSA: What to do when someone dies for the official guidance and contact options.

If you are worried about deceased social security fraud, SSA’s fraud prevention page explicitly calls out schemes that include failing to notify the agency of the death of a beneficiary and continuing to receive benefits, as well as identity theft more broadly. See SSA Fraud Prevention and Reporting for examples and reporting routes.

For a broader “who should be notified” reference, USA.gov provides an agency-oriented overview (including topics like passport cancellation), which can help you avoid missing a category while you’re overwhelmed.

Create a simple executor fraud log and keep it boring

One of the most effective tools for digital estate security is not software—it is documentation. Create a single place (paper folder, secure digital note, or both) that records what you changed, what you notified, and what reference numbers you were given. This becomes your executor fraud checklist in practice: a trail that helps you prove what happened and when, and a timeline that makes it easier to unwind problems if something goes wrong.

Keep it simple: date, institution, phone number or web portal used, person spoken to (if applicable), and what was requested or completed. If your family is coordinating tasks among siblings, this reduces duplication and prevents the kind of “I thought you did that” gaps scammers can exploit.

Where cremation and memorial choices intersect with security

Families don’t experience grief in neat compartments. You can be filing forms in the morning and choosing a memorial in the afternoon. When cremation is part of the plan, you may also be deciding what feels right for your family: a single urn, a shared plan, a wearable keepsake, or a ceremony later when everyone can travel.

If you’re exploring cremation urns, start by browsing cremation urns for ashes and then narrowing based on how you want to memorialize. If you anticipate sharing ashes among relatives—or you want a smaller “for now” plan—Funeral.com’s small cremation urns and keepsake urns collections are designed for those practical realities. And if closeness feels better as something private, wearable memorials can be meaningful: explore cremation jewelry, including cremation necklaces, and read Cremation Jewelry 101 if you want filling and sealing guidance.

For pet loss, the same principles apply: reduce stress by choosing options built for your plan. Families often start with pet urns and pet urns for ashes, then narrow to designs that fit personality, home placement, and size. If you want artistic memorials, see pet figurine cremation urns. If you are sharing among family members, pet keepsake cremation urns can help you create a shared plan without conflict.

Security-wise, memorial decisions intersect with identity risk in two subtle ways. First, shipping addresses and purchase confirmations can create mail and inbox exposure if accounts are compromised, which is one more reason to secure email early. Second, engraving and public memorial posts can unintentionally include identifiers. You can honor a life without engraving full birth dates or including overly specific personal data.

If you are deciding keeping ashes at home, Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home focuses on safety and household comfort. If you are planning water burial or burial at sea, Water Burial and Burial at Sea explains how families plan the moment with fewer surprises. And if you feel stuck on what to do with ashes, this is a compassionate, practical starting point: What to Do With Cremation Ashes: 25 Meaningful Ideas.

Finally, cost questions often sit under the surface of all of this. If your family is searching how much does cremation cost, Funeral.com’s guide How Much Does Cremation Cost in the U.S.? provides a clear framework and helps you understand what is typically included versus add-ons. When families have cost clarity, they are less vulnerable to high-pressure scam tactics that exploit urgency.

If you suspect fraud has already started

Sometimes families learn about suspicious activity months later: a bill that doesn’t make sense, a credit inquiry, a bank notice, or a relative receiving a scam call that references private details. If you suspect identity theft after death is already in motion, act in a way that creates documentation and a recovery trail.

The Federal Trade Commission directs consumers to report identity theft through IdentityTheft.gov, which provides step-by-step recovery plans and an Identity Theft Report when appropriate. The FTC’s own page Report Identity Theft explains how IdentityTheft.gov functions as the federal “one-stop” resource. If you are dealing with debts, collectors, or confusion about who is responsible, the FTC’s consumer guidance on Debts and Deceased Relatives is a helpful anchor for what should—and should not—happen after a death.

When in doubt, prioritize actions that reduce ongoing harm: stabilize email and phone access, notify credit reporting agencies, document every call, and keep copies of letters and forms. You do not have to do everything in one day; you do have to stop the bleeding.

FAQs

If you take only one idea from this, let it be this: identity protection after a death is not about paranoia. It is about reducing the chance of a second crisis while you are already grieving. You can honor someone fully and still be careful with the identifiers that make fraud easy. Quiet, practical protection is also love.