My condolences upon the passing of your wife.
Is it a matter of public record when someone passes away, and are records such as Social Security public knowledge? I don’t know; just asking the question. It seems odd that American Express would contact you in this manner.
My condolences upon the passing of your wife.
Is it a matter of public record when someone passes away, and are records such as Social Security public knowledge? I don’t know; just asking the question. It seems odd that American Express would contact you in this manner.
Social security death records are public. I can’t imagine the SS administration calling up credit cards. My guess is that credit card companies monitor this public information via their own computer programs because of the likelihood of potential fraud using a deceased person’s credit cards. It’s easier for the cc company to blame that SSA than to admit their own actions.
A reminder, only integrity and self values holds you responsible for your wife’s debts if you are not on her account. That said, I’d pay my wife’s debts if she owed them on her death.
As far as the Social Security Administration goes, they can go pound sand. I would not provide them anything of any nature. They would not exist in my mind. eff them.
Sorry to hear about your wife.As to your question I’m 99% certain that SS death records are considered,under law,to be open to the public.If I’m correct then it would be easy,I would think,for a credit card company to scan these records regularly in order to prevent fraud,etc.I know that when I was the executor of my Dad’s estate the lawyer said that the first thing I had to do was officially inform SS of his passing so they could stop benefits.I was given some forms to sign and shorty after having done so his monthly checks stopped arriving.
Social Security updates the death master file on a weekly basis. Credit bureaus subscribe to this data and likely flag accounts of the deceased in case someone tries to use the cards or establish new accounts post mortem.
Of course it must hurt that the credit card company contacts you with a request like this so soon. The alternative is worse, however. A person's financial life is so complicated today that it's very difficult to stay on top of every bill and obligation. It doesn't take long before credit hounding, foreclosures, cancellations for late payment start.
Best wishes getting through all of this.
Prayers and sympathy.
Are you sure it was American Express that contacted you? There are crooks who get death announcements from the newspaper and do scams on the family. If it was indeed them, then I agree what business is it of SS notifying anyone?!? What was their attitude toward you?
It seems we’re going to be getting more flak from credit card companies and I suspect it’s all related to the NSA snoops. It won’t be just the cards, either. It’ll be EVERYTHING in our lives. This week, I had a very strange call from my card company. They’d been hunting me a couple days so I called them on their published number. Immediately, without me even asking them why they’d been calling, they jumped right into a spiel and started bullying me about setting up an online account and threatened that if my payment was ever late that they’d put a block on my card. Say what??? I’ve been with them forever and I do pay my bill. I’d never been treated like this from them. Whatever happened with customer service? I’m still floored by their attitude and how did the person know immediately to do this? If they wanted to lose a long time customer, they certainly made it very easy. It made me a believer in cash only purchases for now on. It was all very strange and creepy.
Amazing how efficient Uncle can be..yet today, decades later, with all the new computer technology, the IRS can mail out thousands of fraudulent refunds to the same address, and not notice that something's wrong..
yeah....just why AXP has your wife's info is beyond me...
in reality, haven't we always known that the govt and the financial companies and banks and big business were all in cahots?......one of these days, I'm hoping to be completely credit card free and only use cash....
Condolences upon your wife’s passing.
This sounds bogus.
Don’t talk to whoever called you. They may want to get your bank info, etc. It’s a definite scam — that’s why they wanted to know your payment arrangements, trying to get SS No and bank info. I bet if you call AmEx at the number YOU have for them, that’s on the card, they will tell you they did NOT make that call.
The credit card company would send you something in writing, not call you up like this.
Also — I presume you most likely had a joint account, so then you can make the payments as you have been doing. But in any case, they would send you things in the mail, NOT call you up.
If you did give this person on the phone any info, you better monitor your financial accounts very carefully.
“BIG BROTHER”Is Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so sorry about your wife.
My condolences as well.
Please realize there are so many scams! I’m sure she will be voting democrat in the next election.
May our Heavenly Father strengthen you.
I think this is likely a scam. When my dad died, not only did SS NOT call me, but I had to go wait in line at one of their offices to report is death.
I don’t believe for one moment that SS is constantly and proactively scanning databases looking for people who have recently died.
Besides how would SS or Amex or anyone else know to call YOU? Some scamster has probably been reading obits and got your name.
2 years after my dad passed ..a life insurance company tracked my brother down to tell him about a policy left behind for us. They did a routine SS death check and it came up that my father had passed. Wierd they found you so quick but with computers today and a big company like Amex they probably run the check daily.
So sometimes it could be for good however they could have sent you a letter and not been so cold about it.
Having said that, very sorry for your lose!
Sorry for your loss.
If you are not on the card, I do not believe you are responsible for her debt.
I would not pay one cent to those banksters.
I am very sorry about the passing of your wife. My condolences.
Just want to echo what others have said: Check that this is not a scam by calling the number YOU have for AmEx (printed on the bill) and ask if they initiated a call to you about your wife’s account. (I wouldn’t even tell them what the call was about, since if they do not have the information yet, you can then deal with paying off her account as you see fit instead of being rushed.)