We get it. You hoped the day would never come when you learned someone used your personal information to open new credit accounts in your name. But it did. So now what? Act fast. It can help reduce the damage identity theft can cause. Here’s how to get started.
Step 1: Call the companies where you know fraud occurred.
- Call the fraud department. Explain that someone stole your identity.
- Ask them to close or freeze the accounts. Then, no one can add new charges unless you agree.
- Change logins, passwords, and PINs for your accounts.
Step 2: Place a fraud alert and get your credit reports — even if you already have a credit freeze in place. (If you haven’t frozen your credit, do that, too.) When you have a fraud alert on your credit report, a business has to verify your identity before it opens a new credit account in your name. A fraud alert lasts one year, but you can renew it.
- Place a free, one-year fraud alert by contacting one of the three credit bureaus. That company must tell the other two.
- Experian.com/help
- 888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742)
- TransUnion.com/credit-help
- 888-909-8872
- Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
- 800-685-1111
- Experian.com/help
- To get your report, call Annual Credit Report at 877-322-8228, or go to AnnualCreditReport.com. Federal law gives you the right to get a free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus. The three bureaus also let you check your credit report once a week for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. Review your reports. Looks for accounts or transactions you don’t recognize.
Step 3: Report identity theft to the FTC. You’ll get a free personal recovery plan with next steps.
- To report in English, go to IdentityTheft.gov
- To report in Spanish, go to RobodeIdentidad.gov
- If you’re more comfortable reporting in another language, call 877-438-4338 and press 3 to report in your preferred language. Interpreters are available from 9:00am – 5:00pm ET.
Sources
https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/09/how-recover-identity-theft?utm_source=govdelivery