There are many quality resources available to you when you’re facing identity theft. We’ve listed many of the most commonly used resources below.

The Three Major Credit Bureaus

If you even suspect identity theft, contact the three major credit bureaus. You can do this by contacting one who is then required to contact the others on your behalf. By contacting the bureaus, you’ll be able to put a hold or notice on your credit so that new accounts can’t be opened for ninety days or longer with extensions.

You can also obtain a copy of your credit report from the bureaus and you have the right to a free credit report once per year by visiting the site dedicated to the annual Credit Report Request Service.

Checking your credit for free once per year is a good start, but you should be checking it more often than that to be sure to catch any fraudulent activity early on. The numbers for the three credit bureaus are as follows:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

Filling out a FTC ID Theft Affidavit will give you much needed support as you go through this process. The Affidavit tells banks, companies and creditors that you are a victim and are therefore not responsible for the debt incurred through fraud.

The report is available on the FTC resources page for common forms.

The United States Justice Department

Identity theft is a growing concern in the United States, and the federal justice department has information and guidance on how to handle the breach of security and information. Information on the Justice Department website offers guidance for preventing theft as well as resolving fraud once it does occur. The Justice Department webpage for Identity Theft is found here.

City and Local Police Department Websites

Check your local police websites for information about special situations and general information regarding identity theft. You will likely learn the basics of how to go about resolving the theft as well as how to file a police report with the correct jurisdiction. Information about identity theft is easily available for most cities and regions. Some are listed the below and the rest can be found by searching your local police website.