What To Do If Your Identity Is Stolen
A comprehensive, step-by-step recovery guide to help you restore your identity and protect your financial future. Act quickly — time is critical.
Immediate Actions (First 24 Hours)
Take these steps immediately to minimize damage and begin the recovery process.
Contact the fraud department of any companies where you know fraud occurred. If your credit cards were used, call those banks immediately.
Important Phone Numbers
Place a fraud alert with one credit bureau (they'll notify the others). This makes it harder for identity thieves to open more accounts.
Experian
1-888-397-3742
Equifax
1-800-525-6285
TransUnion
1-800-680-7289
File a report with the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov. This creates an official identity theft report you'll need for other steps.
- • Official Identity Theft Report
- • Personal recovery plan
- • Pre-filled letters to creditors
- • Step-by-step guidance
Prevent Future Identity Theft
Don't let this happen again. Professional identity monitoring can alert you to suspicious activity before it becomes a major problem.
Detailed Recovery Steps
Continue with these important steps over the following days and weeks.
Get free copies of your credit reports from all three bureaus and review them carefully for any accounts or activities you don't recognize.
What to Look For
- • Accounts you didn't open
- • Inquiries you didn't authorize
- • Incorrect personal information
- • Addresses you never lived at
- • Employment you never had
File a police report in your local jurisdiction. Many creditors and banks require a police report number to process fraud claims.
Reach out to every company where fraud occurred or accounts were opened. Use your FTC report and police report as documentation.
For Existing Accounts
- • Close or freeze compromised accounts
- • Dispute fraudulent charges
- • Change passwords and PINs
- • Request new cards/account numbers
For New Fraudulent Accounts
- • Request account closure
- • Dispute all charges
- • Get written confirmation
- • Remove from credit reports
Recovery is an ongoing process. Stay vigilant and follow up on all disputes and requests.
Ongoing Monitoring Checklist
- • Check credit reports monthly
- • Monitor bank and credit card statements
- • Watch for new fraudulent activity
- • Follow up on pending disputes
- • Keep detailed records of all communications
Professional Monitoring
Consider professional identity monitoring to catch future threats before they become problems.
Learn About IdentityIQExpected Recovery Timeline
Identity theft recovery takes time. Here's what to expect during the process.
- • Complete initial reports
- • Close compromised accounts
- • File all disputes
- • Set up monitoring
- • Wait for dispute resolutions
- • Follow up with creditors
- • Track credit report changes
- • Handle additional fraud
- • Most disputes resolved
- • Credit score recovery
- • Ongoing monitoring
- • Prevention measures
Important Resources & Phone Numbers
Keep these resources handy throughout your recovery process.
Protect Yourself From Future Identity Theft
Recovery is just the first step. Professional monitoring can help prevent identity theft from happening again by alerting you to suspicious activity before it becomes a problem.