Don’t Panic: The Official ITS Guide to Identity Theft

Despite our best efforts, there’s no way to completely prevent identity theft. You may find yourself in a situation where someone has opened a credit card or loan in your name, used your health benefits, redirected your paycheck, or stolen your tax refund. 

Your first reaction may, understandably, be panic:

Identity theft is a stressful situation, but you can remediate it by being prepared and remembering these tips:

My identity was stolen. What should I do first?

Once you’ve verified your identity has been stolen, your first stop should be visiting identitytheft.gov. This site, managed by the Federal Trade Commission, allows you to both report the theft and start a step-by-step recovery plan.

What’s next?

Your recovery plan may look different depending on what personal information was compromised, and how thieves used it for their own gain. You may want to consider: 

• Freezing your credit so bad actors cannot continue opening accounts in your name. You can also freeze your child’s credit for protection.
• Place a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Note that you only need to contact one and they’ll notify the others.
• Getting copies of your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com to make sure other accounts haven’t been opened with your identity.
• Contacting companies where you know the fraud occurred and making a report.
• Filing a police report with your local department.

How can I prevent this from happening again?

• Create accounts with the IRS and Social Security Administration using ID.me. This makes it more difficult for thieves to steal your info.
• Get alerts of sensitive mail or packages that may be getting delivered to you with USPS Informed Delivery, FedEx Delivery Manager, and UPS My Choice.
• Shred any documents you don’t need that contain personal info, like financial statements, that can be fished out of the garbage. This also includes junk mail, like credit card offers.
• Turn on alerts for your bank and credit accounts that let you know when a transaction has been made.

Visit the FTC’s site for more information on what to do if you suspect your personal info may be lost or exposed.

And remember, stay vigilant when someone asks for your personal information that you weren't expecting because identity theft is serious business! 

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an annual collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure we have the resources you need to maintain your security online. Throughout October, we’ll be sending you tips on protecting your information and avoiding malicious attempts to extract your personal data. Visit its.weill.cornell.edu/cybersecuritymonth for more info.