FPA MEMBERS - PROTECT YOUR CLIENTS
Every year, nearly 2.5 million identities of deceased Americans are used for fraudulent account activity and to open new services. This threat is known as "ghosting" and can have serious risk to your client's financial assets, credit cards, tax returns, and driver's license information. It's a serious issue that can disrupt estate settlements for months – sometimes years.
Estate planning, asset protection and a seamless settlement process are top priorities. ProtectHeir helps advisors provide their clients identity theft protection and prevents delay in estate settlements due fraud. It also positions them as a trusted advisor to the next generation of potential clients. Manage what matters most to your clients with ProtectHeir.
What is ProtectHeir?
ProtectHeir is a self-service solution for executors that prevents the risk of identity theft by making it easier for the executor to notify organizations of the passing of a loved one. We help them notify credit bureaus, credit cards, marketing mail houses, government agencies, even social media sites. It reduces the executors time from weeks to about 15 minutes! Once completed, we auto-email the purchasing advisor the executor's contact information, enabling the advisor to then reach out and help the executor with other aspects of estate settlement such as setting up estate or heir accounts, giving the advisor the opportunity to retain those accounts.
FPA Members: Register Free – Save $50/Year
Takes just 2 minutes. Register to set up auto-email of executor information back to you at time of fulfillment. We’ll also provide information on how we can help your client’s executors, help your clients acting as an executor for someone else’s estate, or even help you use our service as a marketing tool to entice prospects.
Tell your clients about this service.
Get what you need to share ProtectHeir with your clients.
Click here to use our suggested email templates for existing clients, current executors, and potential prospects (for marketing).
when ready, purchase service.
FPA Members Save 40–50% off standard $95 pricing.
As an FPA member, you’ll receive exclusive benefit pricing. After purchase, you’ll receive an email with everything needed to fulfill the service, including clear instructions for both you and the executor, and a pre-paid fulfillment code that grants access at no cost to them.
· Click Here to protect all my clients (Batch): $47/client — Save 50%
Best value. Maximize return of acting executor contact info, even for clients you may not know have passed or whose designated executor has changed.
· Click Here for Individual Purchase: $57/client — Save 40%
Ideal for one-off needs when you know a client has passed or a client is taking on executor role.
Both options include executor contact info emailed to you upon fulfillment.
Save your client’s executor days of effort.
The Executor will log into ProtectHeir at the time of their choosing, with their pre-paid fulfillment code, and enter all information into the relevant fields and hit submit - the entire process of creating the notifications takes only about 15 minutes. All links and letters needed to notify the relevant entities (according to each institutions specific instructions for notification) are shown instantly and sent to the email address the Executor provided.
Receive Executor's Contact Information.
Once the Executor fulfills the service, we will send an email to the advisor email associated with the "one-time fulfillment code" and provide the advisor the deceased's name and their Executor's contact information. You can then reach out to the Executor to assist them in setting up estate accounts, or new accounts for their heirs, so that the wealth transition is smooth and hopefully retained within your organization.
Q: What is deceased identity theft?
A: Identity theft and identity fraud refer to types of crime where someone obtains and uses another person’s personal data that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. Deceased identity theft is specific to the use of a deceased individual’s information to commit fraud, which can cause issues during the settlement of an estate.
Q: Why does an estate need to be protected against deceased identity theft?
A: Fraudulent use of the identity of the deceased is very costly and it can take years to correct identity theft once initiated. It is virtually impossible to settle an estate until the fraudulent lines of credit are shut down and the charges cleared. ProtectHeir helps prevent the risk of identity theft.
Q: Is deceased identity theft fraud a ‘victimless crime’?
A: Deceased identity theft fraud can cause extreme issues for the people that need to settle the estate – loved ones or beneficiaries of the deceased. Identity theft of a loved one who has passed away is a traumatic event that can happen at a very stressful time.
Q: Are people really stealing identities of deceased individuals?
A: Absolutely. The identities of almost 2.5 million deceased Americans are used every year to create fraudulent accounts and open new services. This type of identity theft can go unnoticed for a longer period than that of a living person. There is also a larger window of opportunity for fraudulent activity. Criminals know that people are not monitoring statements and accounts that would usually raise the typical red flags.
Q: What does the ProtectHeir service provide?
A: ProtectHeir provides deceased notification letters, web links, and phone numbers for financial institutions, credit bureaus, government agencies, social media sites, and more. We help minimize the possibility of criminals using the name of the deceased to open accounts in their name. You will be able to submit notifications much faster than an individual doing this on their own. This is crucial to help stop deceased identity theft before it begins.
Q: What are the steps I would take to provide the service to my clients?
A: Click the Purchase button below to get started. Upon purchasing, we auto-email instructions for fulfillment and a “one-time” fulfillment code back to you so you can forward with your own comments, Or, you have the option to send everything directly to a client or executor. Either way, the executor will have everything they need when the time comes to fulfill the service. Once the executor fulfills the service, we auto-email you their contact information so you can reach out to help with other items of estate settlement. This is a very easy and cost effective way to ensure you know the correct executor name and contact information (phone and email) at the time of fulfillment.
Q: Why are the notifications sent to the Executor instead of directly to the organizations?
A: Most organizations require that notifications come directly from the Executor or person responsible. Many organizations require sensitive information such as Death Certificates and Proof of Executorship be sent to them directly. ProtectHeir prepares all the necessary notifications electronically and sends them to your Executor to sign and include with the sensitive information, before mailing.
Q: Why wouldn’t the Executor create the notifications themselves?
A: They could. However, executors are often in this role for the first time, and typically do not know what to do, how to do it and who to contact to protect their loved one’s estate from this growing problem. ProtectHeir accomplishes these tasks much faster and more thoroughly than an Executor doing it themselves.