Identity Theft: The First Steps That Actually Matter

If someone is using your identity, these are the highest-impact first moves — freeze your credit, file the official report, and preserve evidence.

If someone has opened accounts in your name, filed for benefits, or submitted a fake ID pretending to be you, the priority is to stop new damage and create an official paper trail. Two moves do most of the work: freezing your credit and filing at IdentityTheft.gov.

—The high-impact first steps

1. 1Place a credit freeze AND a fraud alert at all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion). A freeze blocks new accounts; it's free and reversible.
2. 2File a report at IdentityTheft.gov — it generates an official Identity Theft Report and a personalized recovery plan.
3. 3Contact any bank or company where an account was opened fraudulently and have it closed.
4. 4File a report with local police, especially if you know of specific fraudulent accounts.

—If a fake ID or photo was involved

Scammers increasingly submit AI-generated ID images to pass identity verification. Check whether an image is a deepfake — its provenance metadata can prove it was AI-generated.

Assemble everything — fraudulent accounts, fake IDs, communications — into a report for investigators.