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Identity Theft Recovery Steps

🕒 Last modified 2026-10-23 23:42 UTC

Identity theft is the use of someone's personal information, such as a Social Security number or account number, without permission to open accounts, make purchases or file claims.

1. Key points

The FTC runs IdentityTheft.gov, which creates a personal recovery plan and an FTC Identity Theft Report.
A fraud alert at one of the three nationwide credit bureaus is passed to the other two.
A credit freeze is free and blocks most new credit from being opened in your name.
Federal law lets you get free credit reports from each bureau through AnnualCreditReport.com.

2. First moves

Call the fraud department of any company where fraud occurred, close or freeze affected accounts, change passwords and turn on two-factor authentication. Then report at IdentityTheft.gov and place a fraud alert or freeze.

References

official IdentityTheft.gov — Federal Trade Commission
official What To Know About Identity Theft — Federal Trade Commission
official Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts — Federal Trade Commission

A cited source does not by itself make every claim verified.

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1. Key points

2. First moves

See also

References

Answers that cite this article