What to do if your identity was used

Step 1

Save what you found and create a communication log

Create a secure folder named Identity Fraud Case. Save reports, screenshots, letters, emails, account and case numbers, dispute confirmations, mailing receipts, and phone-call notes. Save a credit report immediately; do not assume you will be able to access it again.

Create a communication log. For every call, letter, email, fax, upload, or dispute, record:

• Date, institution, department, and contact method
• Account or case number
• What you reported and what they told you
• Documents requested and where to send them
• The next step and when to follow up

Identity-fraud cases can last months or years. Do not rely on memory.

Step 2

File an identity theft report

Use IdentityTheft.gov, the federal government’s resource for reporting and recovering from identity theft. It can create an Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan that may help establish your claim with banks, lenders, collectors, and credit bureaus.

Include the accounts you found, institutions involved, reporting bureaus, discovery date, and known case numbers. Save the completed report as a PDF. If you do not create an account, save or print the report and plan immediately.

Step 3

Get reports from all three credit bureaus

Check Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion even if you discovered the problem on only one report. One may show an account, another an incorrect address, and another a collection or inquiry.

Save each report as a PDF. List every unknown account, lender, collection, inquiry, address, phone number, employer, or name variation. If you cannot access an account, document the error and use only official bureau contact methods.

Step 4

Freeze your credit with all three bureaus

A freeze makes it harder to open new credit in your name while you address existing fraud. It does not remove fraudulent accounts already present. Place the freeze separately with each bureau and save all confirmations, PINs, passwords, recovery codes, screenshots, and dates.

Step 5

Contact each bank, lender, or collector

Use a phone number or secure contact option from the company’s official website, your credit report, an official letter, or the company’s authenticated portal. Fraud victims can be targeted by additional scams, so avoid numbers in unsolicited advertisements, texts, or emails.

Ask the fraud or identity-theft department to:

• Mark and close or block the fraudulent account
• Start an investigation and provide a case number
• Explain exactly which documents are required and where to send them
• Confirm whether secure upload, fax, email, or mail is accepted
• Send written confirmation of the investigation and final decision

If you are outside the United States, confirm the mailing address they have for you and ask whether updates can be sent by secure message, email, fax, or phone. After every contact, update your log. Whenever possible, follow phone calls with a written record.

Step 6

Dispute each fraudulent item

Dispute with every bureau showing incorrect information. Identify each fraudulent account, address, phone number, inquiry, collection, employer, or name variation separately.

Use the official online, phone, or mail process that gives you the clearest record. Be prepared to provide your IdentityTheft.gov report, proof of identity, the marked credit report, a short explanation, and supporting documents. If mailing, send copies rather than originals and use a trackable method.

Keep moving

Emergency summary