Identity Theft

What Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your permission to commit fraud or another crime. Stolen information may include your name, Social Security number, financial account information, passwords or other identifying details.

Identity theft can affect your finances, credit and access to accounts or services. Recognizing common methods of identity theft and protecting your personal information can help reduce your risk.

How Identity Theft Happens

Identity thieves use many methods to obtain personal information, including:

Phishing: Fraudulent emails, text messages, phone calls or websites may impersonate trusted organizations and ask you to provide credentials, financial information or other sensitive data.
Stolen information: Wallets, mail, financial statements and other documents can contain information that criminals may use to impersonate you.
Skimming: Devices placed on or near legitimate card readers can capture information from credit or debit cards.
Account takeover: Stolen usernames and passwords may be used to access existing financial, email or other online accounts.
Pretexting: Someone may impersonate another person or organization to persuade you or a company to disclose personal information.
Data breaches: Information exposed through a compromised organization or service may be used for identity theft or other fraud.

How Stolen Information May Be Used

Once someone obtains your personal information, they may use it to:

Open credit cards, loans or financial accounts in your name.
Make purchases or withdrawals from existing accounts.
Open phone, utility or other service accounts.
File a fraudulent tax return.
Obtain government documents using your identity.
Apply for employment, housing or services in your name.
Attempt to access additional accounts by impersonating you.

Protect Your Personal Information

A few precautions can make it more difficult for someone to misuse your identity:

Limit when and where you provide your Social Security number. Ask whether another form of identification can be used.
Use strong, unique passwords for important accounts and enable multifactor authentication when available.
Review financial statements and credit reports for activity you do not recognize.
Secure documents containing personal or financial information and shred them before disposal.
Be cautious when receiving unexpected requests for personal information, credentials or payment.
Keep devices, browsers and security software updated.

Be Alert for Phishing

Phishing messages often create a sense of urgency or imitate organizations you know. Before responding to an unexpected message:

Check the sender's complete email address.
Hover over links to review their destination before selecting them.
Do not provide passwords, Social Security numbers or financial information in response to an unsolicited message.
Avoid opening unexpected attachments or downloading unfamiliar files.
When in doubt, contact the organization through a website, phone number or other method you know is legitimate.

What to Do If Your Identity Is Stolen

Act quickly if you discover that your personal information has been misused.

Contact affected companies. Notify the fraud department of any financial institution or company where unauthorized activity occurred. Ask that fraudulent accounts be closed or frozen and change affected passwords and PINs.
Place a fraud alert and review your credit reports. A free initial fraud alert lasts one year. Contact one of the three nationwide credit bureaus to place an alert; that bureau will notify the other two. You can also consider placing a credit freeze, which requires contacting each bureau separately.
Report the identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission. Visit IdentityTheft.gov to report the theft and receive a personalized recovery plan.
Document what happened. Keep copies of reports, correspondence and other records related to the theft. Depending on the circumstances, you may also choose to file a report with your local police department.

For current contact information for Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, visit the FTC's credit bureau contact information.

Stay Alert

Review your accounts and credit reports regularly and investigate unfamiliar activity promptly. Be cautious about where you share personal information, particularly when a request is unexpected.

For additional information about preventing and recovering from identity theft, visit IdentityTheft.gov.