Identity Theft Recovery

Recovering your identity after it has been stolen can require a lot of time and effort, but the good news is that there are many safeguards in place to help you reverse the effects of identity theft and to prevent more damage from being done.

Important: Keep a thorough record of every conversation and contact information of the people you spoke with, all paper work relevant to your case, and every expense you incur in the process of recovering your identity. A complete record is vital for obtaining restitution in a court case.

First Steps

There are some actions that anyone who is or suspects that they are a victim of identity theft should take. Regardless of what the thief is using your identity for, these are the first steps to recovering your identity.

File an identity theft report

• File a report with the police in your town.
• If the identity theft took place in another place, ask your local police to forward your report to that jurisdiction.
• Obtain copies of the report.

Inform the FTC

• File an ID Theft Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
• Provide a copy of this complaint to your local police department as well.

File the complaint online at ftccomplaintassistant.gov or call 1-877-438-4338

Get a fraud alert

• Request a fraud alert to be placed on your credit report, as explained on the credit monitoring page.
• Also consider a credit freeze, which restricts others from accessing your credit report and prevents the thief from opening new accounts in your name.

Close affected financial accounts

• Close any account which you know or suspect has been used by the thief.
• Make sure to speak with each company’s fraud department.

Other Actions

Depending on what the thief has used your identity for, there are several other steps you may need to take to restore your identity.

If your Driver’s License has been stolen:

• Contact your Department of Motor Vehicles.
• Be prepared to prove your identity with an official government document and to provide evidence of identity theft such as your police report and proof of cancelled bank accounts.

If you suspect your identity has been used to obtain medical care:

• Request a copy of your medical records. If your identity has been used to obtain medical services, dangerous changes may have been made to your medical history.
• Work with your health care providers and insurers to remove any erroneous information in your records.

If you are asked to pay debts you don’t owe:

• Don’t pay any debts that you did not incur.
• Inform the collection agency that you have been a victim of identity theft, and speak with a fraud investigator if possible.
• Provide your police report and other documentation to prove identity theft.

If there are erroneous criminal charges or a warrant for your arrest:

• Contact both the law enforcement agency who arrested the thief using your identity and your local police.
• Explain that someone else is using your identity and file a false personation report.
• Provide identifying information such as fingerprints and official photo identification.
• Request that the arresting law enforcement agency compare the identifying information you provided with the criminal’s identity and change records to reflect the correct identity.
• Ask for a recall of warrants and a “clearance letter.”
• The police should forward a clearance update to all the relevant law enforcement agencies.