Identity theft can happen to any of us. But, if it happens to a care recipient, the repercussions can impact the ability to pay for future care needs.
You can put a freeze credit reports of persons over 65 years of age for free. (You can freeze yours, too, but you typically pay fee if you are under 65.) Freezing a care recipient’s credit report means that new credit can’t be opened in his or her name, protecting your care recipient from fraudulent use of his or her credit.
You’ll want to freeze credit reports at all three credit bureaus. Here’s the contact information:
You’ll also want to check your care recipient’s credit reports to ensure accuracy. You can request free annual reports for both of you: http://www.annualcreditreport.com
For more information about security freezes and protecting yourself and your care recipient from identity theft read this article: http://redtape.msnbc.com/2007/11/now-a-way-to-st.html
