Death records usually become public before families have a chance to close every account held by the person who died. That gap creates risk, as thieves scan obituaries and public records to file false tax returns and open credit lines in the names of dead people.
Services that provide identity theft protection after death step in to monitor accounts for fraudulent activity, send alerts when such activity is detected, and help you keep your loved one's information secure. In this post, we'll look at some identity protection options, so you can see what each one offers and decide which of them makes sense for your situation.
Key Takeaways:
- More than 2.5 million identities of people are stolen each year, with nearly 800,000 documented cases involving criminals exploiting the identities of dead people to open credit cards or obtain cell phone plans in 2023.
- Fraud protection requires action, not just alerts: credit freezes, death notifications, and account closures stop theft.
- Most services only monitor or provide guidance; few actually file notifications and close accounts on your behalf.
- Elayne automates fraud protection while handling estate settlement, securing assets as accounts are transferred.
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What Are Fraud Protection Services for Estates?
Estate fraud protection refers to security measures that safeguard a person's identity and assets after their death. When someone dies, their personal information may become a target for identity thieves.
The window of vulnerability often spans several months. Death records become public, but account closures and credit freezes take time to process. During this gap, fraud can happen quickly and quietly, often going undetected until families receive unexpected bills or tax notices.
Fraud protection services monitor for suspicious activity across credit bureaus, government databases, and financial institutions. They alert families to potential fraud attempts and help resolve issues when they arise. Some services also handle things like notifying credit agencies and closing accounts that could be exploited.
At Elayne, we build fraud protection directly into our estate settlement process. While you're managing the hundreds of other steps that follow a loss, we monitoring for threats and secure accounts in the background.
What to Look for in an Estate Fraud Protection Service
When you're considering a service, you should make sure that it provides:
- Credit monitoring that tracks attempts to open new accounts or access credit in the name of the person who has died.
- Death notification services that alert the Social Security Administration, credit bureaus, and financial institutions.
- Credit report freezes that prevent new accounts from being opened.
- Account flagging to expedite closure and prevent unauthorized access.
- Ongoing surveillance for suspicious activity that could signal fraud attempts.
In our review of fraud protection services, we also considered whether they offered:
- Support for discovering assets and preventing unauthorized access.
- An intuitive experience is for grieving families who aren't security specialists.
- Help with closing accounts, not just sending alerts.
- Credit freeze capabilities and ongoing fraud surveillance.
(All information comes from publicly available service details as of November 2025.)
Best Overall Estate Fraud Protection: Elayne
Elayne protects against estate fraud as part of its complete estate settlement service. Where mos other services only monitor, we take the protective actions that stop fraud before it happens: notifying credit bureaus, closing vulnerable accounts, and securing assets.
Our protection includes:
- Automated notifications to credit bureaus, Social Security Administration, and financial institutions to freeze the credit of the person who has died and prevent new account openings.
- Proactive monitoring and alerts throughout the settlement process to catch suspicious activity early.
- Direct support for closing accounts and transferring assets safely, reducing exposure to identity thieves.
- Secure document handling with bank-level encryption to protect sensitive information.
- Real-time family collaboration tools so everyone can see which protective steps have been completed.
- Human guidance when fraud concerns arise, so you're never managing the process alone.
Good for: Families who want complete protection while handling all post-loss steps in one place, without coordinating multiple services.
Bottom line: Elayne protects against fraud while managing everything else your estate requires, giving you security and peace of mind instead of just alerts.
Sunset
Sunset focuses on helping customers find financial assets of loved ones who have died. But they don't notify credit bureaus, freeze credit, close accounts, or monitor for fraud attempts. You'll need to coordinate those protective steps separately with other services.
What Sunset Offers
- Asset search and discovery across financial institutions and digital accounts.
- Account cataloging.
- Privacy-focused documentation of located assets.
Good for: Families who want to map out what exists before taking formal steps, especially when account records are incomplete or missing.
Bottom line: Sunset answers the question "What did they have?" but leaves the security work to you.
Alix
Alix is an estate settlement company that manages the process of closing out a loved one’s financial, legal, and administrative affairs after death, providing support to simplify post-death administrative tasks. However, the app doesn't offer automated fraud monitoring, real-time alerts, or clear visibility into protective actions taken across credit bureaus and financial institutions.
What Alix Offers
- Personal concierge team that manages estate steps for you.
- App for document uploads and team communication.
- Help with post-loss administrative steps.
Good for: Families who want a single point of contact and prefer working through a concierge team.
Bottom line: Alix coordinates estate management through human intermediaries but does not provide automated protection or other asset-protection services.
Empathy
Empathy functions as a content and information resource, rather than executing fraud protection steps like automated credit bureau notifications, direct account closures, or proactive monitoring across financial institutions.
What Empathy Offers
- Educational articles and grief support content.
- Guides for post-loss steps.
- App-based resource library.
Good for: Families seeking educational resources and general guidance on what steps to take after a loss.
Bottom line: Empathy helps families learn what they need to do, but it doesn't help them do it. Elayne automates fraud protection steps and handles administrative work families would otherwise need to complete themselves.
Feature Comparison Table of Estate Fraud Protection Services
Why Choose Elayne as Your Fraud Protection Service
Fraud protection requires action, not just awareness. We automate the notifications to credit bureaus, file death reports with government agencies, and close vulnerable accounts so you can focus on your family and loved ones.
Each year in the U.S., more than 2.5 million identities of people who've died fall into criminal hands, with many thieves focusing on window of vulnerability between death and account closure. We close that window immediately instead of just watching it.
Other services treat fraud protection as a separate concern. We build it into every step of estate settlement. When we're notifying institutions about asset transfers, we're securing those accounts against unauthorized access. When we're locating assets, we're flagging them for protection. When we're managing deadlines, we're monitoring for suspicious activity.
You get complete protection without coordinating multiple services or wondering whether critical notifications actually went through.
Final Thoughts on Estate Fraud Protection Services
Identity theft after death happens fast, but protection should happen faster. Elayne automates the credit freezes, death notifications, and account closures that stop fraud before it starts, so you're not left managing security steps on your own. We built our service to protect your loved one's identity while you focus on what really matters.
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FAQ
How do I choose the right fraud protection service for my family's needs?
Start by considering whether you need standalone fraud monitoring or complete estate settlement support that includes protection. If you're managing multiple services for account closures, asset transfers, and notifications, a service like Elayne that handles fraud protection alongside all these other tasks will save you time. If you need only asset discovery without active protection, a more limited service might work.
When should I start protecting my loved one's identity after their death?
Start immediately. Identity thieves often scan obituaries and public death records within days of a death becoming public. The sooner you notify credit bureaus, government agencies, and financial institutions, the smaller your window of vulnerability. Waiting even a few weeks can give fraudsters time to file false tax returns or open new accounts.
Can fraud protection services actually close accounts, or do they just send notifications?
Most fraud protection services only monitor and alert you to suspicious activity. Some will notify credit bureaus on your behalf, but you'll still need to contact each financial institution separately to close accounts. Services that handle direct account closure and asset transfers provide more complete protection by removing access points before fraud can happen.
