Finding out someone used your name to open accounts, file taxes, or drain a bank account is a gut punch. Recovery takes time, but the steps are set, and most of them cost nothing. This identity theft recovery guide follows the plan from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the agency that runs the national identity theft reporting site.
Signs someone has your information
You may find out from:
- A charge, withdrawal, or bill you don’t recognize
- A collection call about a debt you never took on
- An account on your credit report you never opened
- A denial for credit you didn’t expect
- A letter from the IRS saying someone already filed a return in your name
- Missing mail, or bills that stop arriving
Any one of these is reason to start the steps below today.
Step 1: Call the companies involved
Call the fraud department at each bank, card issuer, or lender where you see fraud. Tell them someone stole your identity and ask them to:
- Close or freeze the accounts the thief opened or used
- Reverse fraudulent charges
- Send you a letter confirming the account is closed and you aren’t responsible for it
Then change the passwords and PINs on your real accounts, starting with email and banking. If you use the same password anywhere else, change it there too.
Our guide to handling credit card fraud covers card disputes in more detail.
Step 2: Report it at IdentityTheft.gov
Go to IdentityTheft.gov or call the FTC at 877-438-4338. You’ll answer questions about what happened, and the site builds a free, personal recovery plan with pre-filled letters to send to companies and credit bureaus.
The report you create there is your FTC Identity Theft Report. Save a copy. You’ll need it to:
- Get fraudulent accounts closed and debts removed
- Block fraudulent information on your credit reports
- Place an extended fraud alert
Some creditors or a bank may also ask for a police report. You can file one with your local police department and bring a copy of your FTC report.
Step 3: Freeze your credit or add a fraud alert
Both tools make it harder for a thief to open new accounts in your name. The FTC lays out how they differ.
Credit freeze
- Free
- Blocks most lenders from seeing your report, so they won’t open new credit
- You contact each of the three bureaus yourself
- Stays in place until you lift it
- You can lift it for a day or a specific lender when you apply for credit
Initial fraud alert
- Free
- Tells lenders to verify your identity before opening credit
- You contact one bureau, and it tells the other two
- Lasts one year, and you can renew it
- Gives you a free copy of your report from each bureau
Extended fraud alert
- Free, for confirmed identity theft victims
- Requires an FTC Identity Theft Report or a police report
- Lasts seven years
- Takes you off prescreened credit and insurance offers for five years
A freeze gives the strongest protection. Many victims use a freeze and a fraud alert together. See our guide on what a credit freeze is and when to use it.
Contact the bureaus at:
- Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services, 800-685-1111
- Experian: experian.com/help, 888-397-3742
- TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-help, 888-909-8872
Active-duty service members can add a free active duty alert, which lasts one year. Parents and guardians can freeze credit for a child under 16.
Step 4: Check your credit reports and remove fraud
Pull your reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com, which lets you check each one for free every week. Look for accounts, inquiries, addresses, and balances you don’t recognize.
For each fraudulent item, send the bureau a letter with a copy of your FTC Identity Theft Report and proof of your identity. IdentityTheft.gov gives you the letters. When you include the report, the bureau has to block the fraudulent information from your file.
Send a similar letter to each company where the thief opened an account. For errors that aren’t fraud, such as a wrong balance on a real account, follow our guide to disputing an error on your credit report.
If a collector contacts you about a fraudulent debt, tell it in writing that you’re an identity theft victim and send your FTC report. See your rights when a debt collector contacts you.
Step 5: Protect your tax refund
Tax identity theft happens when someone files a return with your Social Security number to steal a refund. You might learn about it when the IRS rejects your e-filed return or sends a letter about a return you didn’t file.
If the IRS sent you a letter, respond right away using the instructions in it. If your e-filed return is rejected because someone already filed with your SSN, file a paper return and attach IRS Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit. The IRS Identity Theft Central page has the form and next steps.
To stop it from happening again, get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) from the IRS:
- It’s a six-digit number that only you and the IRS know
- Anyone with an SSN or ITIN who can verify their identity can get one
- The fastest way is through your IRS online account
- You get a new one each year
- The IRS will never call, text, or email to ask for it
Step 6: Check the accounts credit monitoring misses
Credit reports only show credit. A thief can also use your information for:
- Bank accounts. Check for new checking accounts opened in your name with ChexSystems. See our guide on getting a bank account after a denial.
- Medical care. Read every explanation of benefits from your health insurer. Call about services you didn’t receive.
- Utilities and phone service. A thief may set up service in your name.
- Government benefits. Contact the agency that pays your benefits if payments stop or change.
If you sent money to a scammer
Act fast. How you paid decides who to call:
- Credit or debit card: Call your card issuer and ask it to reverse the charge.
- Bank transfer, Zelle, or wire: Call your bank or the transfer company and ask it to reverse the transfer.
- Payment app: Report it in the app and ask for a reversal. If the app is linked to a card, call the card issuer too.
- Gift card: Call the company that issued the card. Keep the card and the receipt.
- Cryptocurrency: Contact the exchange you used. You often can’t reverse a crypto payment.
Then report the scam at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Our guide on spotting and avoiding financial scams covers the common tricks.
Recovery checklist
- Call the fraud department at each affected company
- Change passwords, starting with email and banking
- Report at IdentityTheft.gov and save your report
- Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
- Place a fraud alert
- Dispute fraudulent items with your FTC report attached
- Get an IRS IP PIN
- Keep a log of every call, letter, and date
Keep checking your credit reports every few months for the next year. Thieves sometimes sell stolen information more than once. More guides are in our Credit Center.
