How to Report Identity Theft: Where to File Every Report
When someone uses your identity, it can be hard to know who you need to notify first. Start by filing an identity theft report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov, then contact the bank or card issuer involved and one of the three credit bureaus for a fraud alert. Depending on what happened, you may also need to involve the police, SSA, IRS, or FBI.
There is no single report that reaches every company and agency out there. A stolen credit card number needs a different response from a fraudulent tax return, stolen mail, or medical care obtained in your name. Rather than reporting the exact same details to every single agency, the goal is to direct the relevant aspects of your situation to the specific organization capable of taking action on it.
Immediately contact your bank or card issuer if money is currently being transferred from your accounts. Even though standard procedure suggests completing steps in a specific sequence, you don’t have to finish your FTC report before calling to secure an account or halt an active transaction.
Where to Report Identity Theft: Complete List
The appropriate place to report identity theft varies based on the specific way your information was misused. Here is a breakdown of where to begin in the most frequent scenarios.
| What happened | Where to report it | How to report it |
| Someone used your identity in any way | FTC through IdentityTheft.gov | Complete the online form and save your FTC Identity Theft Report and recovery plan. |
| Fraudulent bank transfers, card charges, or financial accounts | Your bank, card issuer, lender, or payment service | Contact the fraud department immediately, identify the activity, secure the account, and ask for written confirmation. |
| Fraudulent accounts or information appear on your credit reports | Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion | Contact any of the three bureaus to place a fraud alert. Read our full guide on how to report ID theft to credit bureaus. |
| You know who used your identity, need a law-enforcement record, or a company requests one | Your local police department | Bring your FTC report, identification, proof of address, and evidence of the fraud. Check out this thorough step-by-step guide about filing a police report after identity theft. |
| Your SSN was used for credit, purchases, or other identity theft | FTC through IdentityTheft.gov | File an FTC Identity Theft Report and follow the recovery steps. If your SSN was combined with a different name, address, or date of birth, read our guide to synthetic identity theft. |
| Your SSN or benefits were misused in an SSA-related scheme | Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General | Report online or call 1-800-269-0271. |
| Someone filed taxes or claimed a refund in your name | The Report Fraud hub on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)’s website | Follow the IRS notice you received and submit Form 14039 when the IRS instructions call for it. |
| The identity theft involved hacking, online fraud, account takeover, or an internet scam | FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | File an online complaint with details of the crime, accounts, messages, transactions, and losses. |
| Someone used your information for medical care or insurance claims | Medical provider and insurer first; HHS OIG for Medicare or Medicaid fraud | Report unfamiliar treatment or claims, request records, and correct both billing and medical information. |
| Mail was stolen, redirected, or used in the fraud | U.S. Postal Inspection Service | File a mail-theft or identity-theft report online or call 1-877-876-2455 |
IdentityTheft.gov is the closest thing to a central starting point. It creates an official FTC report and gives you a recovery plan, but you will still need to contact the companies and agencies directly affected by the fraud.
The Three Core Identity Theft Reports
Resolving identity theft typically requires a combination of three key filings: an FTC report, a police report, and a submission to the credit bureaus. Because each serves a distinct function, filing one does not substitute for the others.
FTC Identity Theft Report
The FTC report is usually the best place to begin. At IdentityTheft.gov, you describe how your information was used and receive an FTC Identity Theft Report with a recovery plan. That report can help you prove the theft to banks, creditors, debt collectors, and credit bureaus.
The FTC records the complaint and gives you tools to start fixing the damage, but it doesn’t investigate your individual case like a local detective would.
Police Report
A police report is especially useful when you know or suspect who used your information, your identity was used during an arrest or citation, a bank or creditor asks for law-enforcement documentation, or you need a stronger paper trail.
Filing the report doesn’t guarantee that the police will actually open an investigation. Identity theft often crosses jurisdictions, and the person responsible may be difficult to trace. Even so, the report can provide an official record that supports disputes and fraud claims. Read our guide on how to file a police report for identity theft.
Credit Bureau Report
If the fraud appears on your credit reports, place a fraud alert through Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. Under the one-bureau rule, the bureau you contact must notify the other two, so you do not need to place the same alert three times.
That rule applies to the alert, not to every fraudulent account. You still need to contact each bureau reporting information that does not belong to you in order to dispute it. Our guide on how to report identity theft to the credit bureaus explains the contacts, documents, and Section 605B blocking process.
Where to Report Identity Theft in Special Situations
Certain instances of identity theft don’t map cleanly to standard reporting through a bank, law enforcement, or a credit bureau. In these situations, involving an alternative agency may be necessary.
Social Security Number Misuse
To report identity theft involving your Social Security number, begin with IdentityTheft.gov if someone used the number to open an account, obtain credit, make a purchase, or create another identity. That is also the direction given by the Social Security Administration. For situations where your Social Security number has been coupled with an unfamiliar name, address, or birth date, refer to our guide to synthetic identity theft.
Report the matter to the SSA Office of the Inspector General when it involves Social Security benefits, records, program fraud, or someone improperly using an SSN in an SSA-related scheme. Reports can be filed online or through the OIG hotline at 1-800-269-0271.
While some may consider requesting a new Social Security number, this is rarely the initial step, as the SSA only approves new numbers under highly restricted circumstances.
Tax Identity Theft and the IRS
Tax identity theft may become obvious when the IRS rejects your return, sends a notice about a return you didn’t file, or reports income from an employer you don’t recognize.
Read the notice carefully and follow its instructions. The IRS may ask you to verify your identity or file Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit – a form intended for victims of tax-related identity theft and which shouldn’t be submitted automatically in every case.
You should still create an FTC Identity Theft Report because tax fraud may be one part of a wider misuse of your information.
Online Identity Theft and the FBI’s IC3
If the fraud involved hacking, phishing, account takeover, cryptocurrency, online shopping, wire transfers, or another internet-enabled scheme, file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.
An FBI identity theft report through IC3 gives federal law enforcement information that may connect your case to a broader criminal network. IC3 accepts complaints about cyber-enabled fraud even when the victim is unsure whether the case meets a particular federal threshold. Filing a complaint doesn’t mean an FBI agent will contact you or investigate the case individually.
Report quickly when money was wired or transferred. Rapid reporting may improve the chance that financial institutions and law enforcement can act before the funds disappear.
Medical Identity Theft
To report medical identity theft, start with the provider and insurer listed on the unfamiliar bill, claim, prescription, or Explanation of Benefits. Ask for copies of the relevant records and explain which care or charges were not yours.
If the fraud involves Medicare or Medicaid, you can also report it to the HHS Office of Inspector General. Medicare beneficiaries may report questionable charges to 1-800-MEDICARE, while suspected HHS program fraud can be reported to the HHS OIG hotline at 1-800-447-8477.
Medical identity theft can affect both billing and the accuracy of your health records, so correcting the financial claim alone may not be enough.
Identity Theft Involving a Deceased Person
A deceased person’s identity can still be used to fraudulently open accounts, claim benefits, obtain tax refunds, or create new credit activity. Families should confirm that the death has been reported to Social Security and notify affected financial institutions and credit bureaus.
Funeral homes usually report deaths to SSA, but a family member should contact SSA if that didn’t happen.
Regarding credit-report issues linked to a death, see our Q&A ondeceased notations after identity theft and our guide fordeceased reporting errors.
Identity Theft Affecting Servicemembers
Servicemembers should follow the same core reporting process, but deployment and frequent moves can make unfamiliar accounts harder to catch and resolve. Negative identity theft-related information can also create problems with security clearances or military employment.
Active-duty service members can place a free active-duty fraud alert by contacting any of the three credit bureaus, which must notify the other two. The alert lasts one year and can be renewed for a longer deployment.
Read more about identity theft and credit reporting risks for military personnel.
Can You Report Identity Theft Online?
Yes. Most of the major reporting channels now have an online option.
You can create an FTC report at IdentityTheft.gov. In addition, you can set up a fraud alert online by visiting any of the following credit bureau websites:
Depending on your specific situation, you can use these additional online portals to notify the appropriate authorities about identity theft:
- FBI IC3: Cyber-enabled fraud and scam incidents can be reported online through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
- SSA OIG: Social Security number misuse or program fraud should be submitted via the electronic form at the SSA Office of the Inspector General.
- USPIS: Mail fraud, mail theft, or identity theft involving the postal system can be reported directly to the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Many local police departments also accept identity theft reports online, although the available categories and requirements vary by city. Some cases still require a phone call or an in-person visit, especially when you know who used your identity or need an officer to review physical documents. See the online-reporting section in our police report guide.
While reporting online is highly convenient, remember to preserve the confirmation page, report number, downloaded report, and all submitted documentation, as these records may be necessary later on.
After You Report Identity Theft, What Comes Next?
Reporting creates the record. Recovery is what you do with it.
Secure affected accounts, place a fraud alert or freeze, check all three credit reports, identify every fraudulent item, and send the reports to the companies responsible for correcting it. For the complete sequence, read what to do if your identity is stolen.
When fraudulent information appears on a credit report, an ordinary dispute is not your only option. Section 605B of the FCRA generally requires a bureau to block identified identity-theft information within four business days after receiving a complete request and the required documents.
Reported Everything, but the Fraud Is Still There?
Reports are supposed to start the correction process, but they don’t always make companies act correctly.
A bank may deny a fraud claim. A credit bureau may continue reporting an account you never opened. A furnisher may verify fraudulent information even after receiving your FTC report, police report, and supporting documents.
When the fraud is properly documented, but the companies responsible for fixing it refuse to do so, the issue may involve violations of federal consumer protection law. Consumer Attorneys offers free consultations with attorneys for identity theft victims.
Frequently Asked Questions
The FTC collects identity theft reports and gives victims recovery tools, but it generally doesn’t investigate individual complaints. Local police may investigate when there is a known suspect, local evidence, or another crime involved. The FBI and its partners may investigate larger, organized, interstate, or cyber-enabled schemes reported through IC3.
Not to place a fraud alert. Contact Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion, and that bureau must notify the other two. However, you must communicate with each bureau individually to initiate a credit freeze. You also need to contact each one independently when reporting a fraudulent account to request a dispute or an identity theft block.
Yes. A small charge or account may be a test before larger fraud follows. Reporting it creates a record, gives the bank or creditor a chance to secure the account, and may help you document later problems. If the item reaches your credit report, an FTC Identity Theft Report can also support a Section 605B block request.
No. IdentityTheft.gov is the closest thing to a central reporting point. It creates an FTC Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan based on what happened. But it doesn’t notify every bank, creditor, police department, insurer, bureau, or government agency for you. You still need to contact the organizations connected to the specific fraud.
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