Identity Stolen? Your First 48 Hours, Step by Step

First, breathe — you are not alone, and order matters

Identity theft is common and recoverable. In 2024, more than 1.1 million identity-theft reports came in to the FTC through IdentityTheft.gov (1,135,270 reports), and the agency has turned the recovery process into a clear, repeatable sequence. The single most useful thing you can do in the first 48 hours is move in the right order— the steps below follow the official FTC plan.

Step 1: Call the companies where the fraud happened

Start with the businesses where you see fraud — the bank, card issuer, or account that was misused. Ask for their fraud department, have them close or freeze the affected accounts so charges cannot continue, and change the login and PIN on anything that was touched. This stops the bleeding while you do the rest.

Step 2: Place a free one-year fraud alert and pull your reports

Contact one of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) and place a fraud alert. It is free, lasts a year, and the bureau you call is required to notify the other two, so one call covers all three. While you are at it, get your free credit reports and look for accounts or inquiries you do not recognize.

Step 3: Report at IdentityTheft.gov and get your recovery plan

Go to IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC's official site, and file a report. This generates your FTC Identity Theft Reportand a personalized, step-by-step recovery plan. Keep that report — it is the document that unlocks your rights under federal law (the FCRA and FACTA): a seven-year extended fraud alert, the ability to block fraudulent information on your credit file, the right to stop collectors from chasing fraud debts, and access to documents about the fraudulent accounts.

A police report — only if you need one

Despite common advice, a police report is nota universal step. File one when a specific situation calls for it — you know who the thief is, someone used your name in an encounter with police, or a creditor or company requires it. For most people the FTC Identity Theft Report does the heavy lifting; add a police report only when one of those conditions applies.

Lock it down harder: credit freeze

Once the urgent calls are done, consider a credit freeze, which is stronger than an alert because it blocks new credit from being opened in your name. It has been free at all three bureaus since 2018, and unlike a fraud alert you must set it at each bureau separately. The two free shields that prevent most of this damage are covered in how to freeze your credit and lock your SIM.

Later: taxes, benefits, and the longer tail

Some moves come after the first 48 hours. For tax-related identity theft, the IRS Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) applies only if your tax records are affected andthe IRS has not already contacted you — do not file it if you have received a verification letter such as 5071C or 4883C, because that means the IRS is already on it. You can also request an IP PIN, a six-digit code that blocks anyone from e-filing a return in your name without it.

When to bring in an investigator

If the theft is tangled — accounts you cannot trace, a compromised phone number feeding the fraud, or signs that someone keeps getting back in — professional help is worth it. A hijacked phone number is a frequent driver of account takeover; see what a SIM swap is and how to spot one. If you need accounts traced and secured, our identity-theft investigation service and account compromise recovery can take it from here. For a single hacked login, work through how to secure an account after it has been hacked.

Related services

• Identity Theft Investigation
• Account Recovery After Compromise