Legal · Identity theft

Recovering from identity theft

Act the same day: call the fraud department at each affected company and close or freeze those accounts. Report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get an official Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan. Place a free fraud alert with one credit bureau (it tells the other two) and freeze your credit at all three. Then pull your reports and have the bureaus block fraudulent accounts; they must do it within 4 business days of getting your report. Keep a log of every call and letter.

Moderate1 to 2 hours the first day; follow-up over weeksFreeChecked October 2, 2026

You'll need

A list of accounts, charges or bills you don't recognize
A notebook or doc for a call log: date, company, person, what they said
Your ID and proof of address

What to know

Close the damage. Call the security or fraud department at each bank, card company or other business where the thief used your information, and close compromised accounts. Use numbers from their official websites or your card, not from a message. Source: CFPB¹
Report it at IdentityTheft.gov. You'll get an Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan that walks you through the next steps. Source: CFPB¹ The CFPB also suggests reporting it to local police. Source: CFPB¹
Place a fraud alert. Contact one bureau, and it must notify the other two. Creditors then have to verify it's you before opening an account, issuing a card or raising a limit. Source: CFPB¹ Equifax: 800-685-1111. Experian: 888-397-3742. TransUnion: 888-909-8872. Source: CFPB¹
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus. A freeze stops new creditors from seeing your file, and it's free to place and lift. Unlike an alert, you must contact each bureau separately. Source: CFPB¹ See Freezing your credit.
Pull your credit reports. An initial fraud alert gets you one extra free report from each bureau. Source: CFPB¹ Look for accounts you don't recognize. Source: FTC²
Get fraudulent accounts blocked. Send each bureau your Identity Theft Report, proof of identity, and a letter listing the fraudulent items. IdentityTheft.gov has a sample letter. Bureaus must block the information within 4 business days and tell the companies that reported it. Source: CFPB¹
Upgrade to an extended fraud alert once you've filed an Identity Theft Report. It lasts seven years, and creditors must contact you directly before approving new credit. Source: CFPB¹

Watch out Scammers pose as the FTC, the CFPB, police or your bank, saying your identity was used for fraud. The FTC never threatens you, never asks you to move money "to protect it," and never tells you to withdraw cash or buy gold. Contact agencies only through official websites and numbers you look up yourself. Source: CFPB¹

Fraud alert vs. freeze

From the CFPB. Source: CFPB¹

Tool	What it does	How long	How to place it
Initial fraud alert	Creditors must take reasonable steps to verify it's you	1 year, renewable	Contact one bureau
Extended fraud alert	Creditors must contact you directly before approving credit	7 years	Contact one bureau, with an Identity Theft Report
Credit freeze	Blocks new creditors from seeing your file	Until you lift it	Contact each of the three bureaus

Signs your identity was stolen

A bill you expected stops coming, which can mean someone changed your address Source: FTC²
Charges you didn't make, or new bills you didn't expect Source: FTC²
Bank withdrawals you didn't make Source: FTC²
Accounts on your credit report you don't recognize Source: FTC²
Debt collectors calling about accounts you didn't open Source: USA.gov³

See it done

Video by FTCvideos Government

IdentityTheft.gov Helps You Report and Recover from Identity Theft

Watch on YouTube: IdentityTheft.gov Helps You Report and Recover from Identity Theft | Federal Trade Commission

Full title on YouTube: “IdentityTheft.gov Helps You Report and Recover from Identity Theft | Federal Trade Commission”2018 · Checked October 3, 2026

Video won't load at school or work? No problem. Everything you need is in the steps; the video's just a bonus. Watch it on YouTube later.

If it doesn't work

Thief filed a tax return in your name? Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN, a six-digit number that stops anyone else from filing with your SSN. Anyone who can verify their identity can get one, fastest through an IRS online account. Source: IRS⁵
A freeze doesn't stop takeovers of accounts you already have, so keep watching your bank and card statements. Source: CFPB FTC¹²
Your Social Security number was stolen? Report it to the FTC. Source: SSA⁶ at IdentityTheft.gov Source: CFPB¹
Bureau won't fix it? Submit a complaint to the CFPB. Source: CFPB¹

Good to know

The details, if you want them. Tap a line to open it.

Paid monitoring services

Credit monitoring usually charges a fee and won't alert you to bank withdrawals or a tax refund stolen with your SSN. You can monitor your credit yourself with free reports. Source: FTC²

Protect your SSN

The IRS, your bank and your employer won't call, email or text to ask for it. When others ask, ask why they need it and whether the last four digits will do. Source: FTC²

Take it with you

Printable card Download card (PDF)

Sources

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau What do I do if I am a victim of identity theft?
Federal Trade Commission What to know about identity theft
USA.gov Identity theft
Federal Trade Commission IdentityTheft.gov
Internal Revenue Service Get an identity protection PIN
Social Security Administration Social Security number and card

Lesson L6.2 · Last checked October 2, 2026 against the sources listed.

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