What do I do if my identity is stolen?
Identity theft · 3 minute read
There is a standard sequence: freeze, report, dispute, document. Doing it in order and keeping records is what makes the clean-up shorter.
First, stop the bleeding
Contact the bank or card issuer for any account involved and have it closed or locked. Change passwords, starting with your email, because that is the account used to reset everything else.
Turn on two-factor authentication where it is offered. Most repeat incidents come through an email account that was never secured.
Freeze your credit
Place a security freeze with each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Freezes are free, you can lift them temporarily, and they stop most new accounts being opened in your name.
A fraud alert is a lighter alternative that tells lenders to verify identity. A freeze is stronger.
Make the official reports
File a report at the Federal Trade Commission's identitytheft.gov. It produces an identity theft report and a personalised recovery plan, and businesses ask for it.
File a police report too, particularly if you know the person involved or a creditor requires one. Keep the report number.
Dispute what is not yours
Get your credit reports, which you are entitled to free through annualcreditreport.com, and go through them line by line. Dispute fraudulent accounts and inquiries in writing with both the bureau and the business that reported them.
Written disputes with copies kept are far more effective than phone calls, because the record is what forces a response.
The less obvious places to check
Tax identity theft, where someone files a return in your name — the IRS has a specific process. Medical identity theft showing up in insurance statements. Fraudulent unemployment claims. Utilities or phone accounts opened in your name.
Check your Social Security earnings record too if you suspect employment-related misuse.
Keep a file and expect it to take time
Log every call with date, name and outcome, and keep copies of every letter. Resolution is rarely one conversation; it is a sequence of them, and your records carry it.
If a creditor keeps pursuing a debt that is not yours, or the damage is significant, that is the point where professional help — a consumer attorney, or the restoration service included in many identity plans — earns its cost.
Quick questions
- Does freezing my credit cost anything?
- No. Federal law makes placing and lifting a security freeze free at each of the three major credit bureaus.
- Where do I officially report identity theft?
- At identitytheft.gov, run by the Federal Trade Commission. It generates an official identity theft report and a step-by-step recovery plan.
Free self-assessment
Take the free Is My Identity at Risk? check
Seven quick questions about how exposed your personal information may be, with the areas worth tightening. Free and educational only.
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This page is general education, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws differ by state and every situation is different. For advice about your own situation, speak with a licensed attorney.
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