What to Do If You're a Victim

Record the dates, times, names, and phone numbers from all your conversations. You'll be talking to a lot of people, and you want to keep very detailed records.

Send all letters by certified mail, return receipt requested. You want to make sure that your letters aren't getting lost in the mail. You don't want them able to use that excuse.

Before you do anything else, contact the fraud units at the three credit bureaus and request a fraud alert. Call Experian at 888-397-3742, TransUnion at 800-680-7289, and Equifax at 800-525-6285.

Mary J. Frank, a national identity theft expert, recommends that you tell them to contact you first by calling you on your cell phone before granting any additional credit.

Sometimes identity thieves pass around “suckers lists”. You don't want other thieves opening new lines of credit while you're still trying to clean up the old ones. This may be a good idea even if you're not yet a victim.

You should also ask the bureaus for your free credit reports. You may have to pay for some of them. It's not clear whether you get one free in total or one free from each credit bureau. Phone them and try to order one. Maybe they will all send you theirs for free.

Go over this report and see which new accounts were added. Contact all the creditors that were dealt with fraudulently. Shut down these accounts and get new account numbers for those you want to keep.

Also contact your bank and close down your checking and savings accounts and then obtain new account numbers.

File a complaint with the FTC at www.consumer.gov/idtheft. Also call the Social Security fraud hot line at 800-269-0271 to report fraudulent use of your Social Security number.