If somebody opened an account or used your information, move in a calm order. You do not have to buy monitoring or credit repair to use your federal rights.
Stop the live leak
Call the fraud department of the bank, card issuer, lender, phone company, store, or other business. Use a number on a statement or the company’s real site. Close or lock the affected account, change the password, remove unknown devices, and turn on multi-factor authentication.
Freeze all three credit files
A security freeze makes it harder for a thief to open new credit in your name. Place one separately with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It is free. Keep each PIN, password, or account recovery method somewhere safe.
A freeze is not a fraud alert. A fraud alert tells businesses to verify identity before issuing new credit. One bureau can pass an initial fraud alert to the other two, but freezes are placed with each bureau.
Use IdentityTheft.gov
The Federal Trade Commission site makes an Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan based on what happened. The report helps prove to businesses that the identity was stolen and supports rights to block fraudulent information.
Do not leave the site without saving the report and plan if you did not create an account.
Pull all three reports
Use AnnualCreditReport.com. Mark accounts, inquiries, addresses, employers, or names you do not recognize. An unfamiliar business name can be a bank behind a store card, so call before assuming—but do not ignore it.
Make the call log
- Company and fraud number.
- Date, time, and person.
- Account or case number with most digits covered in your notes.
- What the company promised.
- Next deadline and what you sent.
Dispute and block the bad information
Send the FTC Identity Theft Report, identity proof, and a letter identifying the fraudulent items to the credit reporting companies. Contact the businesses that supplied the information too. IdentityTheft.gov gives letters and steps.
A police report may help in some cases
The FTC plan explains when to consider a local police report. Bring the FTC report, ID, proof of address, and evidence. Get a copy or report number.
Never pay a caller to “unlock” your Social Security number or cancel an arrest warrant. Government agencies do not demand gift cards, crypto, or secrecy.
Where we checked
Go straight to the source
- IdentityTheft.gov recovery stepsFTC report, fraud alert, credit reports, business calls, and police-report steps.
- IdentityTheft.gov rightsFederal blocking, dispute, document, and debt-collection rights.
- CFPB consumer reporting companiesFreeze links, report rights, disputes, and complaint options.
We link to the official office when one exists. A link is not an endorsement, and we do not control outside sites.
