What to Do If Your Identity Is Stolen
Report and freeze first for confirmed identity theft, then consider optional paid tools. Published prices; scores not assigned.
Bottom line
What to Do If Your Identity Is Stolen: finish free controls first, then consider paid tools only for a leftover need you can name. This page does not publish a product score.
Urgent framing
Treat confirmed fraud as an account and credit emergency first. Paid monitoring does not freeze credit files, close fraudulent accounts, or file official reports for you.
Do these immediately
- Confirm the fraud with statements, bureau alerts, or tax/benefits notices (not a phishing clone)
- Freeze credit at major bureaus where available; set fraud alerts if offered
- Lock email and banking with unique passwords and MFA; revoke unknown sessions
- Close or dispute fraudulent accounts through the issuer, not through random callers
- File official identity-theft reports only via trusted government channels when needed
- Only later evaluate monitoring products if residual alert needs remain
Response plan
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1Free
Confirm and document the theft
Write down what happened: dates, account names, amounts, and which notices you received. Prefer primary statements and bureau letters over social media panic posts.
- Save PDFs or screenshots of fraudulent activity
- Note which identifiers may be involved (account numbers, not full SSN in our tools)
- Ignore callers who demand gift cards, remote access, or one-time codes
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2Free
Freeze credit and alert lenders
A freeze at major consumer reporting agencies (where available) blocks most new credit in your name. Fraud alerts can add friction for lenders. These steps are free in many jurisdictions; confirm with the bureau you use.
- Place freezes at each major bureau that applies to you
- Enable fraud alerts when offered
- Turn on bank and card transaction notifications
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3Free
Lock down email and money accounts
Attackers often pivot through email recovery. Change email and banking passwords to unique values, enable MFA, and revoke unknown devices or sessions.
- Unique password on email first
- MFA on email, banking, and tax portals you use
- Review recent login and recovery-contact changes
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4Free
Close fraud and file official reports
Contact issuers to close or dispute fraudulent accounts. When appropriate, file through trusted government identity-theft channels for your country (for example IdentityTheft.gov guidance for many US consumers). Police reports may help for specific disputes; follow local process.
- Call issuers using numbers on the back of cards or official sites
- Use government identity-theft reporting sites, not random SEO ads
- Keep a case log of reference numbers
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5Free
Reduce public enrichment that feeds more fraud
People-search listings can help impersonators. File free opt-outs on high-visibility hits. Paid removal automation is optional if volume stays high after DIY.
- Search your name and city on a few people-search sites
- Submit free opt-outs for the worst hits
- Re-check in a few weeks
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6Optional paid
Product analysis: freezes and reports before monitoring logos
Place freezes, file fraud reports where appropriate, and secure email before any suite. Aura Individual $12/mo annual (verified 2026-08-10) may help residual alerts later; LifeLock stays comparison-only diligence. We invent no restoration success rates.
- Freeze credit files where available
- Secure email with unique password and MFA
- Evaluate monitoring only after containment
-
7Free
Scenario: unauthorized accounts already opened
Follow official fraud-reporting and freeze steps first. Paid monitoring does not replace police or bureau fraud affidavits where those apply. Prefer free containment over panic shopping.
- Document unauthorized accounts
- Use bureau fraud processes where available
- Defer suite purchases until freezes are active
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8Optional paid
Optional paid monitoring after containment
After freezes and account lockdown, some households want ongoing alert coverage. Aura is the qualitative monitoring option (Individual from $12/mo billed annually, 2026-08-09). LifeLock Core at $124.99/yr first year is comparison-only diligence (deal). Who should not buy yet: anyone still missing freezes, anyone who will not read alerts, or anyone who requires a published overall score first.
- Containment complete before shopping
- Prefer the Aura deal link only deliberately after disclosure
- Treat LifeLock as comparison-only research
- Re-check vendor pricing at checkout
-
9Free
Free remedies during confirmed theft
File official reports, place freezes or fraud alerts where available, rotate passwords from a clean device, and enable MFA. Shopping monitoring before those steps delays recovery.
- Report filed where required
- Freeze or fraud alert placed
- Email and bank MFA on
-
10Free
Scenario: shopping LifeLock before police or freeze steps
Report and freeze first. LifeLock Core $124.99/yr verified 2026-08-10 stays comparison-only diligence after official steps; Aura is optional leftover monitoring.
- Free controls first
What this response plan cannot fix
- Undo of accounts already opened in your name without issuer cooperation
- Guaranteed prevention of all follow-on fraud
- Replacement for free credit freezes and MFA
- Requests for your passwords, one-time codes, or full SSN from Security Checklist
- Published restoration dollar amounts as Security Checklist-tested payouts
- Legal advice or jurisdiction-specific filing guarantees
Sources
- Official identity-theft reporting guidance: Use primary government channels for your country (for example IdentityTheft.gov for many US consumers); processes vary by jurisdiction
- Credit freeze / fraud alert public guidance: Bureau and regulator pages; confirm current steps locally
- Aura sources: published product records; Individual $12/mo billed annually captured 2026-08-09
- LifeLock sources: published product records; Core Individual $124.99/yr first year captured 2026-08-09; comparison-only
- Vendor marketing pages: aura.com / incogni.com / joindeleteme.com / lifelock.norton.com feature and pricing claims, not independent evidence; re-verify same-day
- Security Checklist methodology: How commercial pages are structured before scores publish, /methodology/
- Sources: published pricing records: starting prices verified 2026-08-09; scores are not assigned
Final verdict
Confirm fraud, then report and freeze before shopping tools. Paid monitoring is optional after official steps. Overall score is not assigned. Commissions never set this response plan.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Final verdict: what should I do first?
Is paid identity protection required after theft?
What if I only saw a data-breach email, not confirmed fraud?
Will this page invent recovery statistics?
Update history
Price captures verified 2026-08-09. Re-check free OS controls and any listed prices same-day before purchase.
Related guides and tools
Hub, tools, and related reading.
- Data privacy hub Hub
- Open the Identity Protection Finder Tool
- Best Data Removal Services Related
- Best Identity Theft Protection Services Related
- Are Data Removal Services Worth It? Guide
- Do I Need Identity Theft Protection? Guide
- How we evaluate security products Methodology
- SecShield Personal stack
Related reading
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Page information & sources
About this page
Report and freeze first for confirmed identity theft, then consider optional paid tools. Published prices; scores not assigned.
Corrections
Commercial disclosure
Some product links may be commercial. Affiliate relationships never set rankings. See the affiliate disclosure.