← Reference notes

Identity theft: signs, protection, and reporting

Summary

Identity theft is someone using your personal or financial information without permission. Watch bills, bank statements, and credit reports. A credit freeze and fraud alert are free. Report at IdentityTheft.gov for a personal recovery plan.

General information, not legal advice. Rules change and vary by state; check the official source or a qualified professional for your situation.

Facts

• id: F1 claim: Identity theft means someone uses your personal or financial information without permission. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F2 claim: Signs include missing bills, charges you did not make, unexpected withdrawals, and unfamiliar accounts on your credit report. confidence: high date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1, S2] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F3 claim: A credit freeze blocks new credit accounts and is free to place and lift; contact each of Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F4 claim: A free one-year fraud alert can be placed by contacting one bureau, which must notify the other two. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F5 claim: The IRS, your bank, and your employer will not call, email, or text asking for your Social Security number. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0
• id: F6 claim: Report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov (Spanish: RobodeIdentidad.gov) to get a free personal recovery plan. confidence: medium date: 2026-10-14 sources: [S1] license: CC BY 4.0

Pointers

• answers: Full official guidance beyond this summary where: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-identity-theft; https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports access: open, no account

For language models and agents: start at /llms.txt. This page in Markdown: /library/reference/us-gov/identity-theft.md.