What should I do if I gave away my personal information?

What should I do if someone has stolen or scammed my personal information or identification documents?

If your information or identification documents were stolen or scammed, you have an opportunity to prevent the misuse of that information if you can take action quickly.

For financial account information such as credit card or bank account information: Close those accounts immediately. When you open new ones, place passwords on these accounts. Avoid using your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

For SSNs: Call the toll-free fraud number of any one of the three major credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your credit reports. This can help prevent an identity thief from opening new credit accounts in your name. See What are fraud alerts and victim statements?

To replace an SSN card: Call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 to get a replacement.

For driver's license or other identification documents: Contact the issuing agency. Follow their procedures to place fraud flags and to get replacements.

Once you have taken all these precautions, there really isn't anything more you need to do except to check for the signs that your information is being misused.

See "How can I tell if I'm a victim of identity theft?" and "Are there any other steps I can take to make sure I'm not an identity theft victim?"

You don't have to file an identity theft report with the police or with the FTC until you find out if your information is actually being misused.

If another crime was committed, such as theft of your purse or wallet or your house or car was broken into, report that crime to the police.