If your Social Security number has been stolen, act the same day: freeze your credit at all three bureaus, report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov, file a police report, and notify the Social Security Administration. Those four steps create the paper trail and legal protections you’ll rely on to undo any damage a thief has already done and to block what they try next.
Speed matters because the most common schemes move fast. A thief with your number can file a fraudulent tax return before you do, open credit cards and loans that show up on your report, get medical care under your name, or hand your number to police during an arrest. The steps below are ordered by urgency, but you can start several at the same time.
Freeze Your Credit at All Three Bureaus
A security freeze prevents anyone, including you, from opening new credit accounts until you lift it. Freezing and unfreezing are free under federal law, and you can do both online, by phone, or by mail.1Consumer Advice (Federal Trade Commission). Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts You must contact each bureau separately:
- Equifax: equifax.com or (888) 298-0045
- Experian: experian.com or (888) 397-3742
- TransUnion: transunion.com or (800) 916-8800
The freeze stays in place until you remove it. When you need to apply for new credit, temporarily lift the freeze online and reactivate it afterward.
A fraud alert is a lighter option if you don’t want a full freeze. It tells lenders to verify your identity before opening new accounts but doesn’t block access to your report. Contact any one of the three bureaus and it must notify the other two. An initial alert lasts one year. Once you have an Identity Theft Report (see below), you can request an extended alert that lasts seven years and removes you from prescreened credit offer lists for five.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
Report the Theft at IdentityTheft.gov
File your report at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling 1-877-438-4338. The site asks a series of questions and generates two things you’ll use again and again: an FTC Identity Theft Affidavit and a personalized recovery plan. If you create an account, the site tracks your progress, updates the plan as you add information, and pre-fills dispute letters.3Federal Trade Commission. Identity Theft Steps
Save copies. You’ll need the affidavit for creditor disputes, for the extended fraud alert, and to block fraudulent items from your credit file.
File a Police Report
Bring your FTC affidavit, a government-issued photo ID, proof of address, and any evidence of the theft — fraudulent bills, IRS notices, collection letters — to your local police department. The affidavit plus the police report together make up your official Identity Theft Report, which is the document that unlocks your strongest legal protections under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including the right to block fraudulent information from your credit file.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-2 – Block of Information Resulting From Identity Theft
Notify the Social Security Administration
Report the misuse to the SSA’s Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-269-0271, available 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. This creates a formal record with the agency that issued your number.5Social Security Administration. Fraud Prevention and Reporting
Dispute Fraudulent Accounts and Charges
Once you have your Identity Theft Report, contact the fraud department at every company where an account was opened or a charge was made in your name. Send a copy of the report along with a letter identifying which accounts or charges are fraudulent.
Federal law then does most of the work. A credit bureau that receives your identity theft report, proof of your identity, and identification of the fraudulent information must block that information from your credit report within four business days and notify the company that furnished it.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-2 – Block of Information Resulting From Identity Theft Separately, the Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to dispute any inaccurate item on your report. The bureau must investigate and correct or remove unverifiable information, usually within 30 days.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act
Keep a log of every call, letter, and confirmation. If a dispute lingers, that record proves your diligence.
Handle Tax Identity Theft Separately
If you try to e-file and the IRS rejects your return because someone already filed under your number, print a paper return and mail it with all supporting documents. Expect processing to take six to eight weeks while the IRS sorts out which return is real.7Internal Revenue Service. Identity Theft Guide for Individuals Submit Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit, at the same time. You can file it electronically at irs.gov or send it by fax or mail.8Internal Revenue Service. Form 14039
Then get an Identity Protection PIN. This is a six-digit number the IRS issues to you each year; you include it on your return, and any return filed without the current year’s PIN gets rejected. Anyone with a Social Security number or ITIN can enroll after verifying identity.9Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN)
The fastest way to enroll is through your IRS Online Account. If you can’t verify online and your adjusted gross income is below $84,000 (or $168,000 for married filing jointly), submit Form 15227. If neither works, visit a Taxpayer Assistance Center in person with identity documents.
Keep Watching Your Records
Fraud can surface months after the initial theft, so monitoring is part of recovery.
You are entitled to a free credit report from each bureau every 12 months at AnnualCreditReport.com, and the site now offers free weekly online reports.10AnnualCreditReport.com. Annual Credit Report – Home Page Check all three regularly for new accounts you didn’t open. If you placed an extended fraud alert, you get two additional free reports during that first year.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
Also create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov and review your earnings history. If wages appear from an employer you never worked for, someone is using your number for employment. Report discrepancies to the SSA and the IRS.5Social Security Administration. Fraud Prevention and Reporting
Paid monitoring services typically cost $10 to $40 per month and bundle credit monitoring, dark-web scanning, and insurance. They are optional. The freezes, alerts, and free reports above give strong protection at no cost. If a company offers free monitoring after a breach, take it.
If the Number Is a Child’s
Children are attractive targets because their numbers are rarely checked, so fraud can go undetected for years. Warning signs include collection notices for accounts you didn’t open, a denial of government benefits because someone is already using the number, or an IRS letter about unpaid taxes tied to your child.
You can freeze a child’s credit at all three bureaus, but the process differs from an adult freeze. Online freezing is generally not available; you’ll typically download forms from each bureau’s website and mail them with the child’s birth certificate and Social Security card, your photo ID, and documentation showing you are the parent or guardian. If your name isn’t on the birth certificate, expect to provide a court order establishing guardianship. The freeze is free.
Getting a New Social Security Number
The Social Security Administration will assign a new number, but only as a last resort. You have to show that you’ve taken all other steps to resolve the misuse and that someone is still actively using your original number to cause harm.11Social Security Administration. Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number The SSA won’t issue a new number simply because a card was lost or stolen with no evidence of continuing misuse, and it won’t issue one to help you avoid bankruptcy or other legal obligations.
Apply at a local Social Security field office with documents proving your identity, age, and citizenship or immigration status, plus evidence of the continuing problems. A new number is not a fresh start. Your old number stays linked to your earnings history so the SSA can calculate your future retirement and disability benefits accurately, and your credit history doesn’t automatically follow you to the new number. You may end up rebuilding credit from scratch while still working to clear fraudulent accounts tied to the old number.