Identity theft

Thieves can make purchases with your credit cards or get new cards in your name. Credit card misuse topped the FTC’s list in 2024, with 449,032 reports, and loans or leases were also among the most reported types.

Bank account misuse is one of the top three types of identity theft reported to the FTC. Withdrawals you didn’t make are one of the warning signs to watch for.

Credit monitoring services do not alert you to bank withdrawals, so it helps to look at your own statements regularly.

Thieves can use your Social Security number to file a tax return and collect your refund, or to get a job. Credit monitoring will not catch this, which is why the IRS offers extra protection.

Medical identity theft is when someone uses your information to get care, devices or insurance claims. Their health details can get mixed into your records, which can affect your care, your insurance benefits and your credit.

Thieves can open phone, electricity or gas accounts in your name, or use your identity for government documents or benefits. Some even pretend to be you if they are arrested.

Identity monitoring services usually won’t alert you if someone uses your information for tax, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security or unemployment benefits.

Watch for

• Accounts on your credit report that aren’t yours
• Bank withdrawals you didn’t make
• Bills that stop arriving (your address may have been changed)
• Charges or bills you don’t recognize

Watch for

• A bill or Explanation of Benefits for care you didn’t get
• A debt collector calling about medical debt you don’t owe
• Medical collection notices on your credit report you don’t recognize
• Your insurer saying you’ve reached a benefit limit

Watch for

• A debt collector calling about an account your child never opened
• An IRS letter about unpaid income taxes for your child
• Your child being denied government benefits because someone else is using their Social Security number
• Your child being turned down for a student loan because of bad credit they didn’t create

Children under 18 generally don’t have a credit report, so finding one can be a sign of a problem.

Reporting to the FTC gets you a free, personal recovery plan. The site is IdentityTheft.gov in English and RobodeIdentidad.gov in Spanish.

You can also call the FTC at 1-877-438-4338. For other languages, press 3 to reach an interpreter, available 9am to 5pm Eastern.

While a credit freeze is in place, nobody can open a new credit account in your name. It is free to place and lift, but you need to contact Experian, TransUnion and Equifax separately.

A fraud alert tells businesses to check with you before opening a new account. It is free, lasts one year, and you only need to contact one bureau. You can place one even if you already have a freeze.

Recovery usually means several calls and letters. Writing down who you spoke to, when, and what they said makes follow-up much easier and less stressful.

If you suspect tax-related identity theft but haven’t had an IRS notice, you can file Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit. Filing it invalidates a fraudulent return filed with your information.

An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number that stops anyone else filing a tax return with your Social Security number. Anyone who can verify their identity can get one, and parents can request one for dependents. A new IP PIN is created each year.

What to do

1. Ask for copies of your records from each doctor, clinic, hospital, pharmacy, lab and insurer involved
2. Look for visits or services you didn’t receive
3. Report errors in writing, with a copy of the wrong record, using a trackable method like certified mail
4. Check your credit reports for medical bills you don’t recognize
5. Build a recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov

Your health care provider must respond to your correction request within 30 days, and tell other providers who may have the same error.

To check, contact all three credit bureaus and ask for a manual search of your child’s Social Security number. You may need your ID, proof of address, and your child’s birth certificate and Social Security card.

If you find fraud

• Freeze your child’s credit: a parent can do this for children under 16, and teens aged 16 or 17 can do it themselves
• Report and close the accounts, and ask for written confirmation your child isn’t responsible
• Report it at IdentityTheft.gov

Feeling worried, violated and vulnerable were the most common reactions in the survey. Many people describe a sense that their private life is no longer their own.

Shame or embarrassment (45%) and guilt that they caused it (39%) were common among victims who contacted the center.

Thieves get information in many ways, including data breaches you had no control over. Blame belongs with the person who stole from you.

Six in ten victims who contacted the center said they felt they couldn’t trust people. Some also felt isolated or lost interest in hobbies.

Some caution is healthy. The goal is to feel safe enough to keep living your life, not to stay on guard all the time.

Among victims who contacted the center, 59% reported sleep problems and 67% felt stressed, tense or irritable. Some had panic or anxiety attacks, aches and pains, or changes in eating.

The Identity Theft Resource Center has found that some victims think about ending their lives. If you feel this way, you are not alone, and help is available right now.

Ideas

• Choose one time a day (or a week) to check accounts
• Turn on account alerts so you don’t have to keep looking
• When the urge to check comes, note it and wait for your set time

Ideas

• Ask someone you trust to sit with you while you make calls
• Do one task per day, then stop
• Keep a single notebook or folder for every call and letter
• Tick off what you finish, so you can see progress

Before a stressful call, breathe in slowly for four counts and out for six, a few times. When worry spirals, name five things you can see to bring yourself back to the present.

Moving your body, even a short walk, can also help release tension.

Talking with family and friends when you are ready can help. Among victims who contacted the Identity Theft Resource Center, 30% sought emotional support, so many people carry it alone.

Habits that help

• Keep financial records and Social Security and Medicare cards in a safe place
• Shred documents before throwing them away, or black out account numbers
• Take mail out of your mailbox promptly

Questions to ask

• Why do you need it?
• How will you protect it?
• Can you use a different identifier?
• Are the last four digits enough?

The IRS, banks and employers won’t call, email or text you to ask for your Social Security number.

Habits that help

• Don’t give personal information to callers, emails or texts you didn’t expect
• Turn on two-step or multi-factor sign-in
• Use strong, different passwords for each account

For more on scam calls, fake messages and deepfakes, see the “AI scams, deepfakes & misinformation” guide.

Credit monitoring alerts you to changes in your credit report but not to bank withdrawals or tax refund fraud. Identity monitoring usually won’t catch benefits fraud.

Identity theft insurance generally doesn’t pay back stolen money. A free credit freeze often does more to prevent new accounts than a paid service.

Try saying

• “It’s not your fault.”
• “This happens to careful people too.”
• “We can take it one step at a time.”
• “Would it help if I sat with you while you call?”

Try to avoid

• “How could you fall for that?”
• Taking over without asking
• Telling others without their permission

Ways to help

• Help set up strong passwords and two-step sign-in
• Help them go through IdentityTheft.gov step by step
• Help them keep a simple record of calls and letters
• Offer to sit with them on calls

Older relatives may feel embarrassed. Remind them scams are designed to fool smart people. The FTC found that people aged 60 and over filed fewer identity theft reports than younger adults, but any age can be targeted.

For protecting an older adult’s money more broadly, see the “Scams & protecting an older adult’s money” guide.

Recovery can take weeks of calls and letters. Share the tasks if you can, and make time for your own rest.