Spartanburg Mom Says Someone is Using Her Deceased Son's Social Security Number

An Upstate mom says she feels violated and angry after learning someone is using her son's social security number. Just this week, she received a letter saying someone filed a tax return under her son's name. The problem is, her son died in may of last year and she doesn't know who is using his identity or for what purpose they might be using it.

CJ was just ten months old when Ricki Escalante says she lost her infant son to SIDS. "I always tell everybody I've got one boy, one girl and one angel and that's all I need." However, there is one more thing she needs right now – answers. This week, Ricki says she received a letter from the IRS letting her know that someone, other than her or her husband, filed a tax return in her deceased son's legal name; so she called the IRS. Ricki says "I have to fill out as much information as possible about CJ and mail it to the IRS, and from that point, I will just wait for a second notice." The IRS said it could not tell her who filed the tax return, and News Channel 7 was told the agency could not disclose that information; so as the IRS investigates, Ricki is left wondering how far her son's stolen identity could go. "It would be the worst if someone was actually living as him, because he is no longer with us, I do not ever want anybody to be living as my son CJ."

According to Identify Theft Resource center, there is a growing trend of identity thieves stealing the identities of children. The social security numbers of children are considered very valuable because parents are unlikely to check the credit reports of their children. Ricki says she never thought to check her infant son's credit report prior to or after his death, but she will now. "For other parents who have lost children, or loved ones, you know, don't just let it slide, because somebody might have gotten a hold of your loved ones too, so always keep track of it even after their gone, a piece of them might still be here alive."

Identity thieves obtain information about deceased individuals by watch the obituaries, steal death certificates, or even get the information from websites that offer the social security death index file. Until you notify the credit reporting agencies and creditors, they do not know of a death. Any accounts of the deceased will remain open. An active credit file will stay open for up to 10 years without activity.

According to the Identify theft Resource Center, the two best ways to protect your children from child identity theft are to monitor your children's credit reports at least once a year or place a credit freeze on your children's credit files.