Why does Massachusetts still put Social Security numbers on death certificates?

The practice gives fraudsters easy access to a key piece of personal information they can use in their scams, officials say

Including Social Security numbers on death certificates, which has been standard practice in Massachusetts for decades, gives fraudsters easy access to a key piece of personal information they can use in their scams, officials say.Jenny Kane/Associated Press

State officials worried about fraud are calling for changes to the state law which mandates that publicly available death certificates include the deceased person’s Social Security number.

Including Social Security numbers on death certificates, which has been standard practice in Massachusetts for decades, gives fraudsters easy access to a key piece of personal information they can use in their scams, officials say.

In a recent example, the Globe last month detailed the efforts of Suzy Enos, who believes scammers obtained her late sister’s Social Security number from her death certificate in the first step of an elaborate attempt to loot her sister’s assets.

Enos, an IT director at a major corporation who lives in Bedford, went to battle online with the scammers and ultimately succeeded in protecting most of her sister’s assets, including the hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement and savings accounts the scammers were in the process of stealing.

But she singled out the ready availability of her sister’s Social Security number as a probable key to the scam. The scammers apparently used it when posing as a family member to dupe T-Mobile, her sister’s mobile phone carrier, into giving them access to her sister’s phone line, which allowed them to break into her sister’s apps and online accounts.

Now, Secretary of State William F. Galvin and other top state officials say they would support legislation that would remove Social Security numbers from death certificates.

“Clearly, it’s a problem, and it’s only getting worse,” Galvin said. “I think it’s long past due that we do something about it.”

“Social Security numbers are the most relied upon way to prove your identity, especially for financial accounts,” said Galvin. “It’s the key that unlocks access to financial assets and must be protected.”

Galvin said attempted fraud against the dead may be particularly alarming because it may go undetected until it’s too late, especially for people who die without close relatives aware of their financial accounts.

Galvin’s security division enforces laws to protect against financial fraud but does not have oversight of vital records such as death certificates. The state Department of Public Health oversees vital records. A DPH spokesperson said removing Social Security numbers from death certificates would require legislation.

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said Social Security numbers are “a crucial piece of personal information that should be kept confidential as a matter of consumer protection.”

“The attorney general’s office would be supportive of efforts to protect individuals and their private information,” Campbell said in a statement.

Campbell said anyone who suspects their own or a late relative’s personal information has been compromised should file a complaint with their local law enforcement agency and with the Federal Trade Commission at https://www.identitytheft.gov/.

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio also released a statement calling for better protection of personal information.

“If scammers are taking advantage of inadequate protections to our departed loved ones’ death certificate information, immediate action must be taken,” she said. “We need to be incredibly vigilant in ensuring appropriate protective measures are taken.”

State Senator Barry Finegold, chairperson of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Economic Developments and Emerging Technologies, agreed something needs to be done.

“In light of all the fraud that is going on,” he said, “I think everything should be looked at, including removing Social Security Numbers from death certificates, to protect the citizens of Massachusetts from fraudsters.”

Putting Social Security numbers on death certificates is meant to help the Social Security Administration track the deaths of its beneficiaries.

But Galvin said a system could be worked out to provide the Social Security Administration with the information it needs without making Social Security numbers public.

Not all states require the inclusion of the Social Security number on death certificates, and some may redact the number for privacy reasons, according to CountyOffice.org, an online repository of public records. CountyOffice.org did not respond to requests for more information.

Back in the 1990s, the state Registry of Motor Vehicles used Social Security numbers on driver’s licenses, unless a driver requested a different number.

Lois Pines was a state senator when she led the effort to get the RMV to abandon Social Security numbers for a new numbering system to prevent scammers from obtaining Social Security numbers.

“We made necessary changes to protect Social Security numbers back in the 1990s at the RMV and we should do it again now on death certificates,” Pines said in an interview.

She said there was initial skepticism at the RMV about the bureaucratic task of switching the numbering system, but that it was overcome.

Pines also said much more needs to be done to prevent fraud.

“It’s a very scary world out there and the state can do its part by changing its death certificates,” she said. “But it’s really an international issue.”