To protect against identity theft, limit the personal details you share, use strong unique passwords with two-factor authentication, shred sensitive documents, and place a free credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Check your credit reports regularly at AnnualCreditReport.com, and if your identity is stolen, report it at IdentityTheft.gov for a step-by-step recovery plan.
Key Takeaways
- Identity theft means someone uses your personal information, such as your name, Social Security number or account details, to open accounts, make purchases or commit fraud in your name.
- According to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers filed 3 million fraud reports in 2025 and reported $15.9 billion in losses, up from 2.6 million reports and over $12 billion in 2024.
- A credit freeze is free to place and lift and does not affect your credit score, according to the FTC.
- All three nationwide credit bureaus let you check your credit report once a week for free through AnnualCreditReport.com.
- IdentityTheft.gov, run by the FTC, gives victims a personal recovery plan and pre-filled letters.
Hidden threats are easy to miss: identity thieves usually collect personal details quietly, piece by piece, long before a victim notices anything is wrong.
We spend countless hours of our week in the virtual realm in one form or another. Whether we are working, reading the online news, playing games, accessing our online banking or making purchases, every day we are putting our personal information at risk.
Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft
Protecting against identity theft takes several layers: guarding your devices and passwords, limiting what you share, locking your credit files, and watching your accounts for warning signs.
The hidden threat
Many of us go about our online business, happily signing up or signing in to our various social media accounts, our emails or online stores. Yet we never fully understand what hidden threats might be lurking as we give little pieces of our personal information away, one piece at a time.
Think about when you purchase something online, you enter your full legal name, your home address and your contact numbers. When you sign in to Gmail or Facebook, you enter your email and passwords. When you are using social media you freely give snippets of your life away with each post.
Date of birth, whereabouts, where you went to college, where you work, who you know, nicknames, life events, holiday travels. So much information that just 20 years ago would have remained private, is now available for cyber criminals to steal.
Protecting against identity theft is more than just keeping your bank details safe, it’s about limiting access to your personal life. What harm can these innocuous details do to you? Let’s take a look at an example:
Your mobile device remains unprotected, you are using it daily, signing in to social media, and quite proudly have stored your ID, social security number and other personal details on a secure program that you have downloaded from the app store.
A cyber-criminal targets your phone, he attempts to access it through the open network that you are currently using. Because the device has no security updates, screen lock or protective software to block him or warn you, he gets in.
With his programs and hacks, he manages to retrieve ALL information that you have stored or entered into that device. Everything online such as your passwords, accounts, credit card details, date of birth, home, work, friends, EVERYTHING.
He also has access to what you believed to be “offline” maybe you stored your Medicare ID, social security number, a picture of your passport, he now has it all. As he sits in the comfort of his home, he now has enough knowledge and facts on you, to become you.
Identity theft can cause serious harm: victims can face unauthorized debts, damaged credit, drained accounts and, in some cases, crimes or tax returns filed in their name. Prevention lowers the risk, and fast reporting limits the damage if it happens anyway.
Protect against Identity theft
Security software and good passwords are only the beginning. Identity thieves don’t stop because you have set up precautions. They can even be lurking in the physical world too.
You could be casually sitting at your local coffee shop, laptop wide open, sitting back enjoying a chai latte, happily typing away as the person on the sofa behind you is busy keeping track of your passwords and logins.
Protecting yourself from Identity theft begins with keeping your personal information under wraps. Whether you are disposing of old utility bills at home or you are entering personal information online in any form, you must remember that there is always someone willing to take your personal information from you and use it for their own gains.
Keep safe by shredding documents that show account numbers or your Social Security number, by installing reputable security software on each digital device you are using and always be alert to any prying people when you are logging into your accounts in public. To Protect against identity theft means to guard against a potentially devastating loss. Identity theft insurance is sold by several companies; read exactly what a policy covers before buying. For one example, see identity theft insurance by Smartcredit.
What Is Identity Theft?
Identity theft is the use of another person’s personal information without permission to commit fraud. Common examples include opening credit cards or loans in the victim’s name, misusing existing card or bank accounts, and opening accounts the victim does not recognize.
The FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network collects these reports from the public. The FTC notes that Sentinel data is based on unverified consumer reports, not a survey, so it shows what people reported rather than every incident that happened.
How Big Is the Problem?
According to FTC testimony to the US Congress’s Joint Economic Committee in March 2026, consumers submitted 3 million fraud reports in 2025 and reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses. In 2024, the figures were 2.6 million reports and more than $12 billion in losses. The FTC’s 2024 Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book counted 6.5 million consumer reports in total across all categories that year. For a wider look at online risk, see this guide to how big the risk of becoming a victim of cybercrime is.
Warning Signs of Identity Theft
The FTC lists these signs that someone may be using your identity:
- Charges on your statements for things you did not buy.
- Bank withdrawals you did not make.
- Accounts in your name that you do not recognize, often spotted on a credit report.
- Bills you expect that stop arriving, which can mean someone changed your mailing address.
Any one of these is a reason to check your credit reports and contact the bank or company involved straight away.
How to Protect Yourself: Step by Step
- Freeze your credit. Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion separately to place a freeze. The FTC says there is no cost to place or lift a credit freeze and it does not affect your credit score. You can lift it temporarily when you apply for credit.
- Use strong, unique passwords. Give every account its own long password and store them in a password manager. The secure password generator on this site creates random passwords for you.
- Turn on two-factor authentication. The FTC recommends two-factor authentication so a stolen password alone is not enough to get into an account.
- Protect your Social Security number. Do not share it unless you understand why an organization needs it.
- Shred paper records. Bills, bank statements and pre-approved credit offers can give thieves the details they need.
- Check your credit reports. All three nationwide bureaus have permanently extended a program that lets you check your report from each once a week for free. The FTC says AnnualCreditReport.com is the only website authorized to fill orders for the free reports you are entitled to by law.
- Be careful on public networks. Avoid logging in to banking or shopping accounts on open Wi-Fi, keep devices updated and locked, and watch for people looking over your shoulder. This explainer on network security basics covers why open networks are risky.
- Share less on social media. Birth dates, school names, pet names and travel plans are common answers to security questions and help thieves build a profile.
Credit Freeze vs. Fraud Alert
A credit freeze and a fraud alert both make it harder for someone to open credit in your name, but they work differently.
| Feature | Credit freeze | Fraud alert |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Restricts access to your credit report until you lift it | Tells businesses to verify your identity before opening credit |
| Cost | Free to place and lift | Free |
| How long it lasts | Until you lift it | Initial alert: one year, renewable; extended alert: seven years |
| Who to contact | Each of the three bureaus separately | One bureau, which must tell the other two |
| Effect on credit score | None, according to the FTC | Not a factor in your score |
Active-duty service members can also place an active duty alert, which lasts one year and can be renewed for the length of a deployment, according to the FTC.
What to Do If Your Identity Is Stolen
- Report it to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov (or RobodeIdentidad.gov in Spanish). The site builds a personal recovery plan and pre-fills letters to creditors and credit bureaus.
- Call the fraud department of every company where an account was misused, and close or freeze those accounts.
- Place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the credit bureaus.
- Change passwords on affected accounts, starting with email, since email access lets thieves reset other passwords.
- Review your credit reports for accounts or inquiries you do not recognize, and dispute them with the bureau.
If money was lost, contact your bank or card issuer as soon as possible. Related reading: how safe your data is online and what a credit score is.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Reusing one password across email, banking and shopping accounts.
- Storing photos of a passport, Social Security card or Medicare card on an unlocked phone.
- Clicking links in unexpected texts or emails that ask you to confirm account details.
- Ignoring a missing bill or an unfamiliar account on a credit report.
- Paying for credit reports that are available free at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to protect against identity theft?
A strong first step is a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, which the FTC says is free and does not affect your credit score. Combine it with unique passwords, two-factor authentication, shredding documents and regular credit report checks.
Does a credit freeze hurt my credit score?
No. According to the FTC, a credit freeze does not affect your credit score. You can lift the freeze temporarily when you apply for credit and put it back afterwards.
How often can I check my credit report for free?
You can check your report from each of the three nationwide bureaus once a week for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. The bureaus have permanently extended this weekly program, according to the FTC.
How long does a fraud alert last?
An initial fraud alert lasts one year and can be renewed. An extended fraud alert lasts seven years. Contacting one bureau is enough, because it must notify the other two.
Where do I report identity theft in the US?
Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov. The site creates a personal recovery plan and pre-filled letters you can send to creditors and credit bureaus.
Can identity thieves get my information from public Wi-Fi?
Open public networks carry more risk, especially for devices without updates or protection. Avoid logging in to sensitive accounts on open Wi-Fi, and keep your phone and laptop locked and updated.
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