How To Close Email Accounts and Social Networking Accounts of Deceased People

Have you ever given a thought that what will happen your Email Accounts and Social networking sites such as Facebook when you are no more? What will happen to the personal data and informations stored? Who will get access to your account?

The question often crosses our mind.Websites like Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo email accounts and Facebook have different policies for the deceased persons.

Accessing Gmail Account after a person’s death:

If a person has Gmail Account and he/she is dead and you want to get the ownership you will have to send a fax or an email to Google containing the following information –

1. Your full name, physical mailing address, and verifiable email address.

2. A photocopy of your government issued ID or driver’s license.

3. The Gmail address of the individual who passed away.

4. Proof of death.

5. An email containing the full headers and the content of an earlier email message that the deceased person emailed you in past.

Postal Mail:

Google Inc.
Attention: Gmail User Support- Decedents’ Accounts
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

Fax: 650-644-0358

Google will take 30 days to process and validate the documents that you have provided.

For more information on accessing a dead person’s Gmail go to this page.

Accessing Hotmail Account after a person’s death:

If you want to access Hotmail account of a deceased person then you need to fax or mail Hotmail and provide information like-

1. A photocopy of the death certificate for the user.

2. Paperwork stating that you are the benefactor or executor to the deceased’s estate and/or that you have Power of Attorney and are next-of-kin.

3. A photocopy of your driver’s license or a government issued identification.

4.A physical mailing address.

5. Date of birth,City, state and zip code.

6. Date when the account was created and the last date when it was accessed.

Postal Address:

Microsoft Corp.
Attn: Online Services Custodian of Records
1065 La Avenida, Building 4
Mountain View, CA, 94043

Fax No.425-708-0096.

For more information head over to this page.

If you have a Yahoo account then you can’t do much as inactive accounts are deleted after 6 months.

Accessing Facebook Account after a person’s death:

Facebook turns the Account into Memorial Page removes sensitive information and sets privacy so that only confirmed friends can see the profile.

For more information go to this page.

Were you aware of such information? Have you been in such a situation? Do share!

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