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World desk6 min

What to Do If Someone Uses Your Stolen Personal Information

If someone is using your information, secure each affected account, report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov, review your credit files, and follow the right path for tax, medical, child, benefits, or criminal-record fraud.
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If someone is already using your personal information, contact each affected bank, lender, business, or agency to stop the misuse; report the identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov; then protect and review your credit files. If your information was exposed but you have no sign it has been used, start with the site’s lost, stolen, or exposed information path instead. This guide covers U.S. federal recovery steps; businesses and agencies may have their own forms and procedures.

First, work out whether there is active misuse

A breach notice or lost document means your information may be at risk; it does not by itself prove that anyone has used it. Look for concrete signs such as withdrawals you did not make, unfamiliar accounts, missing bills or mail, debt collection for a debt you do not recognize, medical bills for care you did not receive, or an insurer rejecting a legitimate claim because a false benefits limit has been reached. An IRS notice about a return filed or employer reported in your name is another warning sign. The FTC lists these examples in its identity-theft recovery steps and identity theft guidance.

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If an account, charge, benefit, tax filing, or service has already been affected, treat it as active identity theft and follow the steps below. If you only know that information was exposed or lost, use IdentityTheft.gov’s separate path for information that was lost, stolen, or exposed. The FTC’s recovery site distinguishes between someone using your information and use that is uncertain.

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What to do first when someone is using your information

1. Secure every affected account

Call the fraud department of each bank, card issuer, lender, utility, or other business where you found suspicious activity. Say that your identity information was stolen and ask what steps it can take to stop further unauthorized activity, including freezing or closing a compromised account. Change the affected account’s password and PIN, and secure its login. If your email account is affected, secure it too, because it may be used to reset other passwords.

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For unauthorized charges on an account you already hold, identify the specific transactions and ask the institution to remove them. For a new account opened in your name, contact the business and ask it to close the account. The FTC notes that a business may ask you to contact it again after you obtain an FTC Identity Theft Report. Once you have that report, ask the business in writing to confirm that the account is not yours, that you are not liable, and that it has been removed from your credit report.

2. Report the theft and get a recovery plan

Report the identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov. The site provides an FTC Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan; the FTC says the report can help you prove the theft to businesses. An account on the site can track recovery steps and pre-fill forms. If you continue without an account, save or print your report and plan before leaving the page.

The FTC uses reports to support law-enforcement efforts and identify trends, but it does not resolve individual consumer complaints. A local police report may help in some cases or if a business requests one. If you make a police report, the FTC advises bringing your FTC Identity Theft Report, photo identification, proof of address, and other evidence, and asking for a copy of the police report.

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3. Keep a clear record

Start a dated timeline of what happened and what you did. For each call, record the business or agency, the department, the date, the person you spoke with if available, the outcome, and any promised next step. Save reports, letters, emails, forms, account notices, and written confirmations. Use written communication where practical so you can show what you requested and when. The FTC provides sample letters for credit-card charges, debit-card transactions, credit-bureau disputes, and new or misused accounts.

Protect and inspect your credit files

Choose a fraud alert, a credit freeze, or both

Fraud alerts and freezes are free, but they work differently. An alert asks businesses to take steps to verify your identity before granting new credit. A freeze restricts access to your credit file, which can make it harder to open new credit in your name. Neither one secures a compromised bank or card account, so use them alongside direct contact with affected institutions.

Protection What it does How to place it and how long it lasts
Initial fraud alert Prompts businesses to take reasonable steps to verify your identity before issuing credit. Free. Contact one of Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion; that bureau must notify the other two. It lasts one year and may be renewed. FTC details: credit bureau contacts.
Extended fraud alert Requires potential creditors to contact you before issuing credit. Free and available to identity-theft victims. Request it through a bureau and provide an FTC Identity Theft Report; it lasts seven years. Follow the bureau’s current instructions. FTC details: credit bureau contacts.
Credit freeze Restricts access to your credit file until you lift or remove the freeze. Free. Contact each of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately. It remains in place until you lift or remove it. FTC details: credit bureau contacts.

Review reports and challenge fraudulent information

Get and review your reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. IdentityTheft.gov currently says consumers can check their reports weekly for free through AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for unfamiliar accounts and transactions, and note which bureau reports each item.

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If a report contains fraudulent information, write to the bureau identifying the item and include your FTC Identity Theft Report and proof of identity. The FTC says you can ask the bureau to block identity-theft information; blocking removes it from your report and prevents companies from trying to collect the debt. Use the bureau’s current instructions and keep copies of everything you send.

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Work with the business or debt collector reporting the fraud

Contact the business that opened or is reporting an account you did not create. Ask for copies of relevant application or transaction records if you need them to establish what happened, and request that the business stop reporting the fraudulent debt. If a debt collector contacts you, do not treat the contact as proof that the debt is yours. The FTC explains that identity-theft victims can request certain records related to the theft and may ask a debt collector to stop contacting them; the applicable rights and steps depend on the circumstances. See the FTC’s identity theft victims’ rights page.

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Follow the route for the kind of identity theft involved

Tax identity theft

If the IRS sends a notice saying someone used your Social Security number to file a tax return, follow the instructions in that notice. IdentityTheft.gov’s tax identity-theft steps include IRS Form 14039 when applicable; use the form’s current submission instructions. File your tax return and pay taxes owed even if you need to file on paper.

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A child’s identity

Contact the company where the account was opened. Explain that the person is a minor, request closure, and ask for written confirmation. Contact each credit bureau separately for its process to freeze a minor’s credit file; do not assume an adult’s freeze procedure applies.

Medical identity theft

Check the relevant provider, hospital, laboratory, insurer, and health-plan portals for services, records, or enrollment you do not recognize. Contact the provider or plan to dispute care or coverage you did not authorize. If the misuse has also created an entry on a credit report, dispute it through the standard identity-theft process.

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Government benefits or other agency records

Contact the agency involved and ask what documentation and steps it requires. IdentityTheft.gov lists tailored routes for some situations, including Small Business Administration loan identity theft; follow the relevant FTC recovery steps.

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Criminal impersonation

If another person used your identity during an arrest or in criminal records, contact the arresting law-enforcement agency or the relevant court. Provide evidence identifying you and ask how to correct the record and obtain a clearance document.

Use official guidance and keep expectations realistic

IdentityTheft.gov says it “can help you report and recover from identity theft.” The site provides a recovery route, but it cannot guarantee how quickly a business or agency will resolve a case or what outcome it will reach. Bureau contact paths and agency procedures can change, so use the live bureau directory and the current instructions from the business or agency handling your case.

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