To report identity theft to Social Security, call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and ask the representative to flag the misuse on your record, then file a separate report with the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General at 1-800-269-0271 or oig.ssa.gov/report. Those two calls are the core of the SSA process, but they work best when paired with a report to the Federal Trade Commission, a review of your earnings record, and protective steps at the IRS and the credit bureaus.
Start With an FTC Report at IdentityTheft.gov
Before you call the SSA, file a report at IdentityTheft.gov. The site asks a series of questions about what happened and produces two documents you’ll reuse: an FTC Identity Theft Report and a personalized recovery plan.1Federal Trade Commission. IdentityTheft.gov Creating an account lets the site track your progress and pre-fill letters to creditors, employers, and agencies.
The FTC report is the piece of paper the rest of the process turns on. Many creditors require it before they’ll remove fraudulent accounts, and the SSA and law enforcement may ask for it. A report from your local police department can serve the same purpose and carries additional weight with some creditors.2Office for Victims of Crime. Steps for Victims of Identity Theft or Fraud Filing both gives you the broadest coverage.
Call the Social Security Administration
Call 1-800-772-1213 Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time.3Social Security Administration. Contact Social Security By Phone Tell the representative your Social Security number has been misused and ask them to note the identity theft on your record. Wait times run shorter in the morning, later in the week, and toward the end of the month. The TTY line for callers who are deaf or hard of hearing is 1-800-325-0778.
You can also walk into a local field office and hand documents over in person. Use the SSA’s office locator to find the nearest one by zip code. Bring a government-issued photo ID, your FTC Identity Theft Report or police report, and any evidence of the misuse: unfamiliar W-2 forms, collection notices, or benefit statements you didn’t expect.
Block Electronic Access to Your Record
While you have SSA on the phone, ask them to put a Block Electronic Access on your file. The block stops anyone, including you, from viewing or changing your personal information through the SSA website or automated phone system.4Social Security Administration. How You Can Help Us Protect Your Social Security Number That prevents a thief from using a “my Social Security” account to redirect your benefits or change your address. You can lift the block later by calling back and verifying your identity.
Report Criminal Misuse to the Office of the Inspector General
The SSA’s main line handles your record; the Office of the Inspector General handles the crime. The OIG investigates criminal misuse of Social Security numbers, especially cases where someone uses your number to collect benefits fraudulently. File a report at oig.ssa.gov/report or call the fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271, Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.5Office of the Inspector General. Other Ways to Report Fraud Give as much detail as you can about how your number was used and who you suspect.
Treat this as a separate step from your call to 1-800-772-1213. The two offices do different work, and reporting to one does not automatically loop in the other.
Check and Correct Your Earnings Record
When someone works under your Social Security number, their wages land on your earnings history. That distorts your future retirement or disability benefit calculation and can trigger IRS notices about income you never received. Log in to your “my Social Security” account at ssa.gov/myaccount and read through the earnings record year by year.6Social Security Administration. My Social Security Account Compare the employers and wages against your own W-2s and tax returns. Anything you don’t recognize is a signal your number was used for employment.
Report errors to the SSA and submit Form SSA-7008, Request for Correction of Earnings Record.7Social Security Administration. Request For Correction of Earnings Record Attach the W-2 or W-2C for the year at issue. If you don’t have that documentation, the form has a section to explain why. Fixing these entries early keeps the SSA from miscalculating benefits later and heads off IRS questions about unreported income.
Lock Down Your Credit and Your Tax Account
A Social Security number in the wrong hands rarely stays inside the SSA system. Two outside agencies matter here: the credit bureaus and the IRS.
At the credit bureaus, a credit freeze stops lenders from pulling your report, which blocks most new account applications. Freezes are free and stay in place until you lift them, but you have to place one at each of the three bureaus separately: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.8Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts A fraud alert is a lighter-touch companion: it tells lenders to verify your identity before opening accounts, and you only need to contact one bureau because it must notify the other two. An initial fraud alert lasts one year and can be renewed. Using both a freeze and a fraud alert gives you the strongest protection against new accounts.
At the IRS, a stolen number is often used to file a fake return and grab the refund. If your e-filed return is rejected as a duplicate, you get an IRS notice about taxes or income you don’t recognize, the IRS lists an employer you never worked for, or a tax transcript arrives you never asked for, file Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit.9Internal Revenue Service. When to File an Identity Theft Affidavit You can submit it through IdentityTheft.gov, which sends it to the IRS electronically, or file it directly by mail or fax.
After the IRS confirms you as the legitimate taxpayer, it typically issues an Identity Protection PIN, a six-digit code you enter each year when you file. You don’t have to wait for theft to happen to get one. Anyone with a Social Security number or ITIN can request an IP PIN through their IRS online account, and taxpayers who can’t verify online with adjusted gross income under $84,000 (or $168,000 for married filing jointly) can apply on Form 15227.10Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
When a New Social Security Number Makes Sense
The SSA can assign an entirely new Social Security number, but only as a last resort. You have to show that you’ve taken every reasonable step to fix the problems caused by the misuse and that the number is still being used against you despite those efforts.11Social Security Administration. Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number You’ll need to prove identity, age, and citizenship or immigration status, along with evidence of ongoing misuse. The request has to be made in person at a local office.12Social Security Administration. Can I Change My Social Security Number
The SSA will not issue a new number in three situations:
- Your card was lost or stolen but nothing shows the number is actually being used.
- You’re trying to avoid the consequences of bankruptcy.
- You’re trying to avoid legal responsibilities.
A new number also carries real costs. Your credit history, employment records, and existing accounts stay tied to the old number, and the new one starts with an empty credit file, which makes loans, apartment applications, and background checks harder. For most victims, the combination of an SSA record flag, a Block Electronic Access, an OIG report, credit freezes and fraud alerts, and an IRS IP PIN handles the problem without starting over.