Frequently Asked Questions

Halo Fraud Prevention & Mortascreen

  1. Does the GDPR affect Halo and Mortascreen data?

GDPR only applies to information which relates to an identifiable living individual. Information relating to a deceased person does not constitute personal data and therefore is not subject to the GDPR.

  1. How is the data compiled and from what sources?

Our verified deceased data is provided from 4 main sources:

  • Governmental information (Probate)
  • Funeral Data
  • Insurance Data
  • Registration Forms
  1. Is the data fully verified and if so, how?

All our data is fully verified and copies of either Probate or a Death Certificate are available should a query arise.

  1. How far back does the data go?

Both the Halo and Mortascreen records date back to 1980.

  1. What is the difference between the Halo and Mortascreen licences?

The Halo file enables the Sub-Licensee (by way of a Search or Searches) to identify deceased records for credit screening, customer verification or fraud prevention reasons only for its own business purposes.  Halo cannot be used debt collection services. 

The Mortascreen file is structured to enable the Sub-Licensee to generate any Flagged List or Suppressed Marketing List only for its own customers’ direct marketing purposes.

The Mortascreen file must not be used for any other purpose such as credit screening, fraud prevention or customer verification.

  1. What is the recency of the data?

This varies between suppliers as follows:

Registrations 0 – 2 weeks
Financial Data 0 – 2 weeks
Funeral Data 0 – 2 weeks
Probate Data  6 – 12 weeks

 

  1. How is the data delivered and how often?

Data is updated daily and output in .csv format via our SFTP site on a weekly or monthly basis to suit individual requirements. You can also access the data through API. Please contact us to find out more about this.

  1. I have a query regarding one of your records; who do I need to contact?

All queries can be sent FAO Tracey McNulty, tracey.mcnulty@wilmingtonplc.com. We aim to answer all queries within 24 hours.

 

  1. What happens to personal data after death?

In legal terms, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act no longer applies to identifiable data that relate to a person once they have died. However any duty of confidence established prior to death does extend beyond death.

 

  1. Does data protection apply to deceased?

Do you have to remove deceased individuals' data from a database? Under GDPR, businesses have a legal obligation to keep their data up-to-date, which means that, theoretically, deceased data should be removed. Although there are no specific regulations that state that a deceased individual's data should be removed.

 

  1. What is personal data deceased?

Is information about deceased individuals personal data? The UK GDPR only applies to information which relates to an identifiable living individual. Information relating to a deceased person does not constitute personal data and therefore is not subject to the UK GDPR.

 

  1. Can identity theft happen to a deceased person?

Identity thieves can strike even after death. An identity thief's use of a deceased person's Social Security number may create problems for family members. This type of identity theft also victimizes merchants, banks, and other businesses that provide goods and services to the thief.

 

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