Someone Stole My Identity — What Do I Do First?

You open a credit card statement and see charges you did not make. Or you get a call from a debt collector about an account you never opened. Or you try to file your taxes and the IRS says someone already filed using your Social Security number.

Your stomach drops. Someone has stolen your identity.

Take a breath. You are going to be okay. Identity theft is stressful and frightening, but it is recoverable. What matters most right now is acting quickly and in the right order. This guide will walk you through exactly what to do — step by step, starting right now.

The First Hour: Stop the Bleeding

The very first thing you need to do is limit the damage. These steps should happen as fast as possible.

1. Freeze Your Credit at All Three Bureaus

This is the single most important step. A credit freeze prevents anyone — including thieves — from opening new accounts in your name. It is free, and it takes about 10 minutes.

You need to freeze your credit at all three major bureaus:

• Equifax: Call 1-800-685-1111 or visit equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
• Experian: Call 1-888-397-3742 or visit experian.com/freeze
• TransUnion: Call 1-888-909-8872 or visit transunion.com/credit-freeze

When you freeze your credit, each bureau will give you a PIN or password. Write these down and keep them in a safe place. You will need them later if you want to temporarily lift the freeze (for example, when you apply for a legitimate loan or credit card).

Important: A credit freeze does not affect your credit score, your existing accounts, or your ability to use your current credit cards. It only prevents new accounts from being opened.

2. Call Your Bank and Credit Card Companies

Call every financial institution where you have an account. Tell them your identity has been compromised and ask them to:

• Flag your account for fraud monitoring
• Review recent transactions with you
• Issue new account numbers and cards if needed
• Add extra security verification to your accounts

Use the phone number on the back of your credit card or on your bank's official website — not any number from a suspicious email or letter.

3. Change Your Most Important Passwords

From a device you trust, immediately change the passwords on:

• Your email accounts (this is the most critical — email is how thieves reset your other passwords)
• Your online banking and financial accounts
• Your Social Security account at ssa.gov
• Your health insurance portal

If you are not already using two-factor authentication on these accounts, turn it on now.

The First Day: Document Everything

Once you have taken the emergency steps above, spend time today creating a paper trail. This documentation will help you dispute fraudulent charges, work with law enforcement, and prove your case to creditors.

4. File a Report with the FTC

Go to IdentityTheft.gov — this is the Federal Trade Commission's official identity theft reporting site. Walk through their guided process. At the end, you will receive:

• A personalized recovery plan with specific steps for your situation
• An official FTC Identity Theft Report
• Pre-filled letters you can send to businesses and debt collectors

Print your FTC report and keep it. You will need it multiple times.

5. File a Police Report

Call your local police department's non-emergency line and file a report. Some jurisdictions let you file online. Bring:

• Your FTC Identity Theft Report
• Any evidence of the theft (fraudulent statements, collection letters, etc.)
• Your government-issued ID

Some companies and credit bureaus will ask for a police report number when you dispute fraudulent accounts, so make sure to get a copy of the report or at least the report number.

6. Check Your Credit Reports

You are entitled to free credit reports from all three bureaus. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com (the only official site — ignore lookalike sites) and pull your reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Go through each report carefully. Look for:

• Accounts you did not open
• Inquiries you do not recognize (these mean someone applied for credit in your name)
• Addresses you have never lived at
• Incorrect personal information

Mark everything that is wrong. You will use this information to file disputes.

The First Week: Dispute and Recover

With your credit frozen and your reports filed, it is time to start cleaning up the mess.

7. Dispute Fraudulent Accounts and Charges

For every fraudulent account or charge on your credit reports, file a dispute directly with the credit bureau that shows it. You can do this online or by mail. Include:

• Your FTC Identity Theft Report
• Your police report number
• A clear explanation of which items are fraudulent
• Copies (not originals) of any supporting documents

The bureaus are required by law to investigate within 30 days and remove items that are confirmed as fraud.

8. Contact Any Companies Where Fraud Occurred

If someone opened an account in your name at a store, bank, or service provider, contact that company's fraud department directly. Ask them to:

• Close the fraudulent account
• Send you written confirmation that the account was fraudulent and has been closed
• Stop reporting the account to credit bureaus

Send your requests in writing (certified mail with return receipt is best) and keep copies of everything.

9. Set Up Ongoing Monitoring

Even after you clean everything up, you want to watch for new fraudulent activity. Here are your options:

• Free: You can check your credit reports regularly at AnnualCreditReport.com and set up free fraud alerts at any of the three credit bureaus.
• Paid monitoring: Services like Aura provide real-time monitoring of your credit, bank accounts, Social Security number, and more. They alert you immediately if anything suspicious happens and provide dedicated recovery specialists if you need help.

10. Secure Your Mail

Identity thieves sometimes redirect your physical mail to steal financial statements, tax documents, and new credit cards. Consider:

• Signing up for USPS Informed Delivery (informeddelivery.usps.com) so you can see images of mail that is coming to your address
• Using a locked mailbox
• Picking up your mail promptly instead of letting it sit

How to Prevent It From Happening Again

Once you have recovered, these habits will significantly reduce your risk going forward:

• Keep your credit frozen. Leave it frozen as your default state. Only lift the freeze temporarily when you need to apply for credit.
• Use strong, unique passwords for every account. A password manager makes this easy.
• Turn on two-factor authentication on every account that offers it.
• Monitor your credit at least once every few months.
• Shred documents that contain personal or financial information before throwing them away.
• Remove your personal information from data broker sites using a service like DeleteMe. The less of your information that is publicly available, the harder it is for thieves to use it.
• Be skeptical of unsolicited calls and emails. If someone contacts you asking for personal information, hang up and call the organization directly using a number you look up yourself.

Key Takeaways

Here is the priority order if your identity is stolen:

1. Immediately: Freeze your credit at all three bureaus. Call your banks. Change your passwords.
2. Same day: File an FTC report at IdentityTheft.gov. File a police report. Pull your credit reports.
3. First week: Dispute fraudulent accounts. Contact companies where fraud occurred. Set up ongoing monitoring.
4. Going forward: Keep credit frozen, use strong passwords, enable 2FA, and remove your data from broker sites.

Identity theft is not your fault, and it does not have to ruin your financial life. The people who recover fastest are the ones who act quickly and methodically. You now have the exact playbook to do that.

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