AIISAmerican Institute
for Identity Safety

Help available today

Someone used your identity. What now?

Start with these six steps, then use the FTC’s personalized recovery plan for your situation.

  1. If money is at risk, contact the provider immediately.

    If someone is moving money or using a financial account without permission, contact your bank, card issuer or payment provider immediately. Use its official app, website or the number on your statement. Ask it to stop unauthorized activity; do not wait to finish this checklist.

    FTC first recovery steps

  2. Secure your email and other affected accounts.

    Change compromised passwords and PINs, starting with your email account. Turn on multifactor authentication, an extra sign-in check, and sign out unfamiliar sessions. If you are locked out, use the provider’s official account-recovery process. Ask affected companies’ fraud teams to secure accounts and close fraudulent accounts where needed.

    FTC account-security guidance FTC first recovery steps

  3. Freeze your credit and add a fraud alert.

    Place a free security freeze separately with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can also place a free fraud alert with one bureau; that bureau must notify the other two. A freeze helps prevent new-credit fraud. It does not secure existing accounts or remove fraudulent entries.

    Equifax Experian TransUnion
    CFPB freeze and fraud-alert guidance

  4. Check all three credit reports.

    Get your free reports from all three nationwide credit bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com. Mark accounts, debts or activity you do not recognize so you can identify what needs correcting.

    Get your free credit reports

  5. Report the identity theft.

    Use the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov to create your Identity Theft Report and a personalized recovery plan. Save a copy of the report. The plan can guide you through the steps for your situation, including identity misuse beyond credit accounts.

    Start your FTC recovery plan

  6. Request corrections and keep records.

    Notify affected businesses and ask the credit bureaus to block information resulting from identity theft. Supply the required Identity Theft Report, proof of identity and details identifying the fraudulent items. Keep copies of your submissions, case numbers and confirmation letters.

    CFPB identity-theft correction guidance

Help for your situation

IdentityTheft.gov covers child, tax, medical and other types of identity theft. For a child, use the FTC’s child-identity-theft guidance, because reporting and freeze procedures differ.

Prefer to report by phone? Call the FTC at 1-877-438-4338.

The official reporting, security-freeze and credit-report resources linked here are free.

Adapted from FTC recovery guidance