Computer Forensics After a Client Dies

When a loved one dies, it’s hard enough already for a family. When key information is trapped inside a computer or mobile phone, families rely on us to do some computer forensics. If you know how to handle these situations in advance, you’ll get increased revenue and client satisfaction.

Treat the situation with extreme empathy

If someone is calling you to find stuff on the computer, the death was probably sudden. The family didn’t have time to get key information like usernames and passwords from the deceased. In my experience these deaths are usually a car accident or suicide. When talking with the client, you should open your conversation expressing sympathy for the loss. A phrase like “I’m sorry for your loss” goes a long way in easing the client. Let them talk for a few minutes and explain the situation. Computer technicians shouldn’t interrupt clients, but here it’s extra important.

When you’re meeting with the client, be prepared for a lot of emotions. The client may spontaneously cry, yell or just go silent. I suggest doing these calls at the end of the day. The meeting with the client is emotionally draining. When possible, I recommend that the client have a friend nearby during the service call. When an emotional outburst happens, the client can talk with the friend. If the friend can’t be in the same room, ask the client to notify a friend of your visit. That way the friend will be expecting the call.

Verify and Get Authorization to Proceed

Even if you treat the situation with respect, you are still running a business. You don’t want to get in trouble for “breaking into” a computer. It’s rare, but one time a caller asked me to do this work for a couple going through a bitter divorce. The wife claimed the husband was dead so that way she could see his email without his consent. I’ve also seen potential clients claiming a dead end user when they wanted to break into a stolen computer.

I recommend asking for a copy of the death certificate and verifying they are executor of the estate. This isn’t an unusual request. The surviving family members have to give them out all the time. When my father passed away we had a dozen of those certificates. You may need those certificates later to get into email and other accounts. A client could fake these documents, but at least you can prove you used due diligence before you went ahead with the work.

Start By Finding Email Accounts

If the deceased had a personal email account, that’s the first place to try to access information. If the password is saved in the email client or browser, then you can go to the next step. If not, you may need to guess it. Although we tell clients not to do it, many of them use the same passwords for everything. The family may know that password or be able to guess it. If not, a spouse or parent may know the answer to the security questions to reset it.

If you still can’t get into the account or get locked out, you’ll need to contact the email host. If the email is from the ISP, customer support can reset the password. Email hosts like Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft have their own policies. A password reset in these cases usually needs proof of death and authorization. That’s why I suggest you get that information before you meet with the client.

Look for Other Online Accounts

Once you have access to the primary email, you can then reset passwords to all other online accounts. You won’t know what other online accounts the deceased had but the top places to look are

• Email archives for registration
• Favorites
• Browser history

In my experience, this is where things get awkward with the client. Family members could find out charges and habits of the deceased that were private in nature. Again, treat these situations with the utmost respect. Don’t comment on it. Don’t ask about it. Just state the facts as you see them. In delicate situations, you can show the client how to search email so they can investigate accounts on their own.

How to Get This Kind of Work

Death, as they say, is a part of life. Don’t be afraid to seek out this business. The obvious referral source for this kind of work is funeral directors. If a client mentions problems getting information off the computer, the director will refer the family to you. Another source for this type of work is insurance agents and, in particular, life insurance. The insurance agent is one of the first people the family will call. Let these professionals know that you can help clients find key information on the computer and hand them a few business cards.

Helping family members get information out of a computer is a valuable skill. If you plan for them in advance, you’ll put families at ease. In the future, they’ll call you for other computer problems and recommend you to their colleagues and friends.

Written by Dave Greenbaum