Identity Theft & the Deceased

Question: What is identity theft? How many different types are there?

Answer: There are essentially 5 categories of identity theft:

  1. Business/commercial identity theft (using another’s business name to obtain credit))
  2. Criminal identity theft (posing as another person when apprehended for a crime)
  3. Financial identity theft (using another’s identity to obtain credit, goods and services)
  4. Identity cloning (using another’s information to assume his or her identity in daily life)
  5. Medical identity theft (using another’s identity to obtain medical care or drugs)

In 2009, 6.5% of all Canadian adults (nearly 1.7 million people) were the victim of some kind of identity fraud. It look over 20 million hours and $150 million to resolve these problems. In cases where full identities are created for the purpose of obtaining official identity documents, accessing government services and/or evading authorities, deceased persons provide a useful basis for the fraud. Also, there is evidence of U.S. citizens fraudulently accessing the Canadian healthcare system using the identities of deceased Canadians.

The good news is that we can all be extra vigilant and take precautions, but what about the deceased?
One of the major areas that Peacehold adds value is through identity theft prevention. Our extensive, proprietary process allows us to uncover any known official (foreign or domestic) government documentation and have them properly retired. Additionally, we apply a formal death alert through the two major credit bureaus in the country, which dramatically minimizes the risk of someone assuming the identity of the deceased.

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Peacehold Incorporated ®

Peacehold Incorporated ®