What To Do if Your Identity Is Stolen

No matter how careful you are, you can’t completely eliminate the risk of identity theft. You can lower the odds, but there’s always some exposure. That’s why it helps to know exactly what to do the moment you discover your identity has been compromised.

Immediate Steps to Take

File a claim with your identity theft insurer, if you have one. Many identity theft protection plans include support that handles much of the legwork for you, including filing reports and contacting your bank or credit card company.

File a report with the FTC. You can do this online at IdentityTheft.gov in about five to ten minutes. This creates an official paper trail for your case, and if you don’t have insurance or a recovery service, the FTC will provide prefilled letters and forms to help you move forward.

Contact any company where the theft occurred. Close any accounts opened in your name and explain the situation so fraudulent charges can be removed.

Contact all three major credit bureaus. Reach out to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion to request copies of your credit reports and set up a fraud alert. A standard fraud alert lasts one year and requires lenders to verify your identity before extending credit; an extended alert can last up to seven years. If you use a credit monitoring service, this step may be handled for you automatically.

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| Credit bureau | Mailing address | Phone number | Website |

| Experian | P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 | 1-888-397-3742 | experian.com/fraud/center.html |

| Equifax | Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 | 1-800-525-6285 | equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-fraud-alerts/ |

| TransUnion | TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 | 1-800-680-7289 | transunion.com/fraud-alerts |

Other Agencies Worth Contacting

IRS. Identity thieves often target tax refunds or unemployment benefits. Reach the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.), or complete Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit, and mail it to Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Fresno, CA 93888-0025. You can also fax it to 1-855-807-5720.

Social Security Administration. If someone is using your Social Security number, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213. In extreme cases, they can issue a new Social Security number, though that means starting your credit history over.

Health care providers. Notify your insurer and providers so a thief can’t obtain medical care or prescriptions under your name.

DMV. Thieves can misuse a stolen driver’s license number. Alerting the DMV flags your number for law enforcement and allows you to replace a lost or stolen ID.

Utility and telephone companies. Contact each provider directly if a fraudulent account was opened in your name. You can also request a data report from the National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange, or file a complaint with the FCC if a provider is unresponsive.

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| Agency | Phone number | Website |

| IRS | 1-800-829-1040 | irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f14039.pdf |

| Social Security Administration | 1-800-772-1213 | secure.ssa.gov/ipff/home |

| NCTUE | 1-866-349-5355 | nctue.com |

| FCC | 1-800-225-5322 | fcc.gov |

Improving Your Security While You Wait

Once your reports are filed, recovery often becomes a waiting game. Use this time productively:

• Request written information about any debt incurred in your name from debt collectors, which they’re required to provide.
• Change passwords on all affected accounts, using long, unique passwords and a password manager if helpful.
• Turn on two-factor or multi-factor authentication wherever it’s offered.
• Remove personal information you may have posted publicly online or on social media.
• Register your phone number with the National Do Not Call list to reduce scam calls.

Handling Special Situations

Government benefit fraud. Contact your state’s specific benefits agency, since names and processes vary by state. For military benefits, contact the Department of Veterans Affairs at 1-800-578-5492.

Checking account fraud. Request a free report from ChexSystems, a banking report agency that tracks checking accounts, then contact any financial institution where a fraudulent account was opened. Ask your bank to stop payment on bad checks and report them to the check verification system.

Student loan fraud. Contact the loan issuer, explain the situation, and ask them to close the loan and send written confirmation you aren’t responsible for repayment. For federal loans, contact the Department of Education’s Inspector General at 1-800-647-8733.

Investment account fraud. These accounts have less federal protection than credit cards or bank accounts. Contact your broker immediately if you suspect fraud, since acting quickly is the best way to limit losses.

Bankruptcy fraud. Write to the U.S. trustee in the region where the fraudulent filing occurred, and consider hiring an attorney.

Rental fraud. Contact the landlord, ask which tenant history service was used, then request your report from that service and ask how to correct any fraudulent entries.

Criminal impersonation. If someone used your identity during an arrest, contact the relevant law enforcement agency, file a report, and provide fingerprints and identification to clear your name. Carry the resulting clearance letter with you.

Tax identity theft. Complete the IRS Identity Theft Affidavit, file your return as normal, and check your case status by calling 1-800-908-4490.

Child identity theft. Children are frequent targets since they have no credit history. File an FTC report, contact any business involved, note that minors can’t legally enter into contracts, and consider placing a credit freeze in your child’s name.

Medical identity theft. Request your medical records, report any inaccuracies to providers in writing with your FTC report attached, and notify your insurer of the fraud.

Limiting the Financial Damage

Acting quickly is the single most important factor in limiting losses. Beyond that, know your protections: most states limit your liability for identity theft, and federal law caps your credit card liability at $50, with the same limit for ATM and debit card losses reported within two business days. If a thief uses only your card number, not the physical card, you’re fully protected.

How Common Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft has become increasingly common in recent years, with reported cases climbing significantly, and rates vary a good deal by state. Economic disruption tends to correlate with an uptick in fraud, and a shift toward more online commerce has meant more digital scams as well.

How Does Identity Theft Happen?

Thieves obtain personal information through methods including dumpster diving, stolen wallets or purses, malware, unsecured public Wi-Fi, data breaches at companies you do business with, stolen mail, and phishing scams that trick you into handing over information willingly.

Once they have your information, it can be used to open new lines of credit, establish services in your name, open bank accounts, take out auto loans, file fraudulent tax returns, access your existing accounts, or even commit crimes under your identity.

Your Legal Protections

The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you a number of important rights: you must be notified if credit information is used against you, you have the right to an accurate report, the right to contest errors, and the right to know what’s in your file. Employers can’t access your credit report without consent, and outdated information can’t be included in your file.

Additional federal protections come from laws including the Identity Theft Assumption and Deterrence Act, the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, the Fair Credit Billing Act, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, and the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. Together, these give you protections such as reasonable notice of related legal proceedings, the right to be heard in those proceedings, and the right to timely restitution.

Every state also has its own data breach notification law requiring businesses to inform you if your information is compromised, though the specific thresholds and notification windows vary by state.

Preventing Future Identity Theft

• Avoid carrying your Social Security card with you day to day.
• Don’t share your Social Security number unless absolutely necessary.
• Be cautious about sharing personal details like your birthdate or mother’s maiden name.
• Collect your mail daily and pay attention to your regular billing cycle so you notice if something goes missing.
• Use your phone’s built-in security and privacy features.
• Use a VPN when connecting to public Wi-Fi.
• Review your bank and credit card statements every month.
• Keep your firewall and antivirus software up to date.
• Shred documents containing personal information before discarding them.
• Use long, complex, unique passwords for every account.
• Review your credit reports from all three bureaus at least once a year.
• Store sensitive documents in a safe or locked location.

The Bottom Line

Recovering from identity theft can feel overwhelming, but a clear, methodical process, filing reports, contacting the right agencies and businesses, and correcting your credit reports, makes it far more manageable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you do when someone steals your identity? File a claim with your insurer if you have one, file a report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov, contact any businesses involved, and reach out to all three major credit bureaus to set up a fraud alert.

How do I check if someone is using my Social Security number? Check your Social Security account on the SSA’s website regularly and watch for any unfamiliar activity.

How do you know if your identity has been stolen? Warning signs include unexplained bank withdrawals, bills that stop arriving, merchants refusing your checks, debt collectors contacting you about unfamiliar debts, unrecognized accounts on your credit report, medical bills for care you didn’t receive, and notices from the IRS about duplicate filings.

What am I liable for if my identity is stolen? Your liability is generally very limited. Federal law caps credit card, ATM, and debit card liability at $50, and most states offer similar protection for checking accounts. Investment accounts, however, have fewer built-in protections.