How to Report Identity Theft of a Deceased Person to the FTC

When You Need an FTC Report

You've discovered something wrong — a credit card the deceased never opened, a loan application filed after the date of death, an IRS notice about a tax return nobody authorized, or collection calls for debts that don't belong to the estate. These are signs of posthumous identity theft, and the Federal Trade Commission is where you start the formal response.

An FTC identity theft report documents what happened and can support disputes with credit bureaus, creditors, or the IRS. The report number alone does not guarantee that an account will be blocked, collection will stop, or a tax matter will be resolved.

How to File the Report

Go to IdentityTheft.gov and start the reporting process. The site will ask you a series of questions about what happened. When it asks who the victim is, select that you're reporting on behalf of someone else — the deceased.

You'll need to provide:

• The deceased's full legal name, date of birth, and Social Security number
• Your name and your relationship to the deceased
• A description of the fraudulent activity — which accounts were opened, which institutions are involved, and when you discovered the problem
• Any supporting documentation — credit report entries showing unauthorized accounts, collection letters, IRS notices

The site generates two things: an FTC Identity Theft Report (a detailed summary of the fraud with a unique report number) and a personal recovery plan with step-by-step instructions tailored to the specific type of fraud.

Print the report and save a digital copy. You'll use the report number repeatedly in letters to creditors and credit bureaus.

What to Do with the Report Number

Send it to all three credit bureaus. Include the FTC report and supporting documents in a letter to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion requesting that they review and block fraudulent information on the deceased's credit file. Ask each bureau what proof of identity and authority it requires and what response timeline applies.

Send it to each creditor involved. Write to the fraud department of every institution where an unauthorized account was opened. Include the report, a copy of the death certificate, and proof of your authority. Ask the creditor to investigate, close or correct the account if it is fraudulent, and pause collection while it reviews your dispute.

Include it in IRS correspondence. If a fraudulent tax return was filed, use IRS Identity Theft Central for the current process and forms. Keep the FTC report as documentation of the suspected fraud.

File a police report. The FTC report is not a police report. Some creditors and insurers require a police report in addition to the FTC filing. Bring the FTC report to your local police department — they can use it as the basis for their own report.

Follow Up

Filing the report starts the process. Finishing it requires follow-through:

• Check credit reports 30 and 60 days later to confirm that fraudulent accounts were actually blocked, not just disputed
• Follow up with creditors that haven't responded within 30 days — send a second letter referencing the FTC report number
• Monitor for new fraud. Posthumous identity theft often involves multiple attack vectors. If someone opened a credit card, they may also have filed a tax return or attempted medical fraud. Review all channels, not just the one where you found the first incident

The Identity Theft Prevention After Death toolkit includes pre-drafted dispute letters for creditors and credit bureaus, a tracking sheet for monitoring the status of each dispute, and a fraud discovery response protocol that walks you through the full process from detection through resolution.