Victim of identity theft

[Anonymous]

Where do I even start to solve this problem. What's the first thing to do in order to stay protected.

[M_Smart007]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Where do I even start to solve this problem. What's the first thing to do in order to stay protected.

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@Anonymous, Welcome to The forums and sorry you are going through this.

I would start here:

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/Victim-of-Identity-Theft-What-To-Do-to-Protect-Yourself/m-p/2059499#M172755

[AllZero]

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@CreditInspired wrote:

Freeze your credit with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion

Credit Bureau	Online	By phone	By mail
	Visit: Equifax Credit Freeze page	1-800-685-1111 (NY residents call 1-800-349-9960)	Equifax Security Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348
	Visit: Experian Credit Freeze page	1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742)	Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013
	Visit: TransUnion Credit Freeze page	1-888-909-8872	TransUnion LLC, P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016

I found this on https://clark.com/credit/credit-freeze-and-thaw-guide/

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[blindambition]

I'm very sorry for this violating event. You will most likely have to file a police report, if you haven't already. If there's a fraudulent account on report. Fraud alert is wise, but annoying. Lasts a year. Call one CRA, and the others will be alerted.

Sorry and good luck to you.

[Medic981]

First, you should contact Equifax (EQ) 1-888-766-0008, TransUnion (TU) 1-800-680-7289, or Experian (EX) 1-888-397-3742 to place a fraud alert on your credit report The credit bureau you place a fraud alert with will contact the other two. Renew the fraud alert every 90 days (it's free to do so) until you're satisfied the matter has been settled; it could take years.

Next, put a security/credit freeze on each of your credit bureau files.EQ Freeze or call 1-800-685-1111 (NY residents 1-800-349-9960), TU Freeze or call 1-888-397-3742, EX Freeze or call 1-888-909-8872.

Contact each of the three credit bureaus and report that your SSN has been stolen. They'll give you free copies of your current credit reports. Review those reports for unfamiliar accounts and unknown inquiries from companies.

Report the theft of the Social Security number to the IRS or you can call 1-800-908-4490. This will prevent tax-fraud thieves from filing tax returns in your name and collecting your tax refund.

Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission or you can call 1-877-IDTHEFT.

File an identity theft report with your local police. The police report will help clear your records and your name and is necessary if you want to apply for a new Social Security number.

Keep track of, record, report and close all fraudulent accounts by contacting both the companies holding the accounts and the credit-reporting agencies. This will keep your credit as clean as possible.

Report the theft of your Social Security number to the Internet Crime Complaint Center. The report will be distributed to the relevant federal, state and local authorities.

The Federal Trade Commission offers a good resource on what to do in case of identity theft.

Contact the Social Security Administration only to get a replacement card or replacement number. The only way to get a new SSN from the government is to prove without a doubt that someone has used the old number, and records of fraudulent accounts can provide that evidence.