Digital afterlife: Safeguarding identities from posthumous scams
Increasingly complex applications, online services, and digitizing many aspects of life necessitate digital identity. However, what happens to a user's "digital profile" after their death remains unclear. NASK elucidates these complexities and highlights the associated risks.
The data of deceased individuals pose a risk in terms of online fraud and can be an additional burden for grieving families. One such issue is the so-called ghosting scam, a method whereby scammers exploit information left online after a user's death. Following the death of a loved one, a grieving family might inadvertently overlook this problem, and it's worth paying significant attention to it.
Scammers gather data about deceased individuals from obituaries, funeral home websites, hospitals, and various internet sites to open accounts, apply for loans, or obtain insurance in their name. According to Washington National, approximately 2.5 million deceased Americans experience identity theft annually, as noted by NASK.
This threat is widespread, and scammers find the task somewhat easier because, on behalf of the deceased, only their closest relatives can practically care for the data, and understandably, they can't deal with this at such a time.
Seizing control of a deceased person's account can be as destructive as data theft for loans, not only due to potential business values or personal branding associated with the account but also because of its emotional value to the family. Scammers know how to manipulate the social media accounts of deceased individuals to create distress among family members. Once they achieve their goal, they often demand a ransom to return the profile.
How to protect the digital identity of the deceased?
More and more online platforms are offering account protections in case of death. Nevertheless, many of us neglect these opportunities. By planning the protection of digital assets, we can significantly ease the lives of our loved ones after our passing. Even if we haven't done this before, our loved ones can address this issue despite the lack of clear legal regulations.
On Facebook, a user can decide whether the account will be transformed into an "In Memoriam" status or deleted after death. You can also choose a legacy contact. Both the "In Memoriam" status and deletion require documentation of death. Family members or a chosen friend must present appropriate documents on the platform, including a scanned copy of the death certificate or obituary. Documents such as powers of attorney or wills will be necessary to delete the account.
