What to do after identity theft | Infinite Credit AI

If someone has used your personal information, the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov site is where you report it and get a free personal recovery plan. Here are the first steps the FTC lists, plus a few that may come later.

Signs your identity may have been stolen

The FTC and USAGov list warning signs like these:

Bills you normally get stop arriving, which may mean someone changed your billing address.
You see charges you didn’t make, or get a bill you didn’t expect.
Your bank statement shows withdrawals you didn’t make.
Your credit reports show accounts you don’t recognize.
Debt collectors call about accounts you didn’t open.
A loan application is denied.

Step 1: Contact the companies where the fraud happened

Call the fraud department at each company where fraud occurred. Explain that your identity was stolen and ask them to close or freeze the accounts. Then change your logins, passwords and PINs.

USAGov also points you to the fraud departments of your credit card issuers, your bank and any other institutions where you have accounts.

Step 2: Place a fraud alert and get your credit reports

Contact one of the three credit bureaus to place a fraud alert. That bureau must notify the other two. The alert is free, lasts one year and can be renewed. The FTC says to add a fraud alert even if you already have a credit freeze. If you haven’t frozen your credit, it suggests considering that too.

As of November 2026, the FTC lists these contacts for fraud alerts:

Experian: experian.com/help, 888-397-3742
TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-help, 888-909-8872
Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services, 800-685-1111

Next, get your credit reports and look for accounts or transactions you don’t recognize. Federal law gives you a free report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide bureaus. As of November 2026, the bureaus also allow free weekly checks. You can get them at AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.

Step 3: Report it to the FTC

Report the identity theft to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov. Based on the details you give, you’ll get a free personal recovery plan with next steps. Spanish speakers can report at RobodeIdentidad.gov. For other languages, call 877-438-4338 and press 3. Interpreters are available 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

According to the FTC, IdentityTheft.gov lets you:

Get a personal recovery plan with step-by-step guidance.
Update your plan and track your progress.
Print pre-filled letters and forms to send to credit bureaus, businesses and debt collectors.

The site covers more than 30 types of identity theft, including problems beyond credit, such as debt collectors, government IDs, utilities, student loans and medical identity theft. It also has guidance if your information was exposed in a data breach.

Next steps that may apply to you

A longer fraud alert

If you’ve experienced identity theft and completed an FTC identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov or filed a police report, you can place an extended fraud alert. It’s free and lasts seven years. It also takes you off the bureaus’ marketing lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers for five years, unless you ask them not to. This guide to credit freezes and fraud alerts compares your options.

Tax-related identity theft

USAGov says that if you think someone filed a tax return using your information but the IRS hasn’t notified you, you can file IRS Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit. The IRS explains when to file an identity theft affidavit.

Paid monitoring and recovery services

You may be offered credit monitoring, identity monitoring, recovery services or identity theft insurance, sometimes through a bank, credit union, card issuer, employer or insurer. The FTC notes some limits:

Credit monitoring usually won’t alert you to bank withdrawals or tax refund fraud. You can monitor your credit for free through your free credit reports.
Recovery services may help with letters, freezes and paperwork. Some of that help you can do yourself at little or no cost.
Identity theft insurance generally doesn’t reimburse stolen money or financial loss. Ask about the deductible and exclusions.

Protecting yourself going forward

Store financial records and your Social Security and Medicare cards somewhere safe. Shred papers before you throw them out, and pick up your mail promptly.
The IRS, your bank and your employer may need your Social Security number, but the FTC says they won’t call, email or text to ask for it.
Before giving your number to another organization, ask why it’s needed, how it’ll be protected, and whether a different identifier or the last four digits would work.
Use strong passwords, turn on two-factor authentication where it’s offered, and don’t give personal information to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly.

The short version

Call the fraud departments where the theft happened, close or freeze those accounts, and change your passwords and PINs.
Place a free fraud alert with one bureau, which must tell the other two.
Get your free credit reports and look for anything you don’t recognize.
Report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a free personal recovery plan.
With an FTC identity theft report or police report, you can place a seven-year extended fraud alert.

Sources

General information, not legal or financial advice. Laws and government guidance change, so check the sources above for the latest.

What to do after identity theft: steps from IdentityTheft.gov