It seems that even when we depart this mortal coil someone wants to exploit us. Apparently fraudsters can take advantage of our demise by using our identities to do things such as open bogus bank accounts or get new identities.
Actually that is not news; it has been going on for many years as anyone who has read Frederick Forsyth’s best-seller ’The Day of the Jackal’ will know. But now the authorities are finally taking steps at last to curb the abuse. They are going to release death records to the credit-check firms whose services are used when we apply for bank accounts, loans, etc,
In fact direct mail companies have also been pressing for this information for years. They see the benefit of being able to avoid sending mailshots addressed to people who have ‘gone away’ permanently.
Unfortunately they will not be given access to the data, so our nearest and dearest can look forward to receiving holiday brochures, charity appeals and goodness knows what else addressed to us long after we have said our last farewells.
I find something ironic in the fact that the government announced the scheme to coincide with the start of National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, which is all about warning about the risks of ID fraud. Ironic because all of the major losses of data we hear about seem to be linked in some way to government departments. And then they want us all to have ID cards…
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