Identity theft is the misuse of someone else’s personal information. It can show up as a new credit account, an unfamiliar bank transaction, tax or benefit fraud, or misuse of a medical or service account. You may spot clues, but you usually cannot reliably identify the person behind the misuse. Focus first on limiting further harm and following the recovery steps for the affected account or information.
What identity theft can look like
Identity theft does not always mean someone opened a credit card in your name. A thief may use personal information to access an existing account, apply for credit, file a tax return, claim government benefits, obtain medical services, or take over another service account.
Possible warning signs include unfamiliar bills, transactions or account activity, and credit-report entries you do not recognize. Check bank, card and benefit statements as well as your credit reports. An absence of alerts does not establish that your information has not been misused: monitoring may cover only certain accounts or records.
What the reported numbers do—and do not—show
The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network counted 1.1 million identity-theft reports in 2024, equal to 18% of the reports it received. It also counted 449,032 reports involving misuse of an existing credit card or an application for a new credit card. These are reports received, not a count or prevalence estimate of Americans who were victimized. The FTC says Sentinel data are based on unverified reports and are not a consumer survey.
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The FTC separately reported more than $12.5 billion in reported fraud losses in 2024. That figure covers fraud overall; it is not an identity-theft loss estimate. In its announcement about the 2024 fraud data, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Christopher Mufarrige said, “The FTC is monitoring those trends closely and working hard to protect the American people from fraud.”
How to reduce the chance of identity misuse
Consider a credit freeze
A freeze is free and available to anyone. Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion separately to place one. It restricts prospective creditors’ access to your credit report, which may make it harder for someone to open new credit in your name. When you apply for legitimate credit, you may need to lift the freeze so a lender can check the report. A freeze does not prevent every form of identity theft, including misuse of existing accounts or tax information.
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Use a fraud alert when you want creditors to take an extra step
A fraud alert asks businesses to verify your identity before opening new credit; unlike a freeze, it does not restrict access to your credit report. The FTC says initial fraud alerts are free and can be placed through one credit bureau under its guidance.
Review accounts and reports yourself
Look through bank, credit-card and benefit statements for transactions or changes you did not authorize, and review your credit reports for unfamiliar accounts or inquiries. Treat monitoring services as an additional signal, not a substitute for checking the records that matter to you: credit monitoring may not detect bank withdrawals or tax-return misuse.
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Secure paper records and online accounts
- Keep sensitive paper records in a safe place. Before discarding a document, check the FTC’s document-specific retention advice; different records may need to be kept for different periods. Shred sensitive papers when they are safe to discard. A community shredding event is a no-purchase alternative.
- Do not provide your Social Security number in response to an unexpected contact. Verify the request through a contact method you find independently.
- Use strong, unique passwords and turn on multifactor authentication where it is available.
What to do if you suspect identity theft
- Contact the affected company promptly. Call the bank, card issuer, government agency or other organization connected to the suspicious account or transaction. Use a verified contact method, explain what you do not recognize, and ask what steps are needed to secure the account and dispute activity.
- Review related records. Check statements and credit reports for other unfamiliar activity. Keep a record of suspicious transactions, accounts, dates and the organizations you contact.
- Report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC’s site creates a personalized recovery plan and provides supporting materials, including sample letters.
- Follow the steps for the kind of misuse involved. Depending on the case, the plan may call for closing fraudulent accounts, disputing transactions or credit-report entries, and placing a credit freeze or fraud alert. Tax, benefit, medical and service-account cases may require contacting different agencies or providers.
The FTC provides consumer recovery guidance; it does not resolve an individual consumer’s dispute. Its Consumer Sentinel reports support law-enforcement trend analysis and investigations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is paid identity-theft protection worth it?
It depends on what a service actually monitors and what assistance you need. Credit monitoring can alert you to some changes in credit files, but it may not cover all three bureaus and may miss bank withdrawals or tax-refund fraud. Identity-theft insurance generally does not reimburse money stolen by scammers, so do not assume it replaces funds taken from an account.
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Before paying, check whether a bank, credit union, employer, card provider or insurer already provides a service. Compare the number of credit bureaus monitored, the non-credit databases and events covered, alert timing, included recovery assistance, insurance limits and exclusions, and the total price. A service should be judged by its stated scope, not by a broad promise to prevent identity theft.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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