Identity Theft Recovery Action Plan

When your identity is stolen, the order you act in matters

Identity theft is overwhelming precisely when you can least afford confusion. Freeze the wrong thing first, forget to fraud-alert your credit file, or lose track of which agency you called, and the damage keeps spreading — new accounts, drained balances, debts in your name.

Recovery isn't complicated, but it is sequenced. This plan lays out exactly what to do in the first 24 hours, what to do in week one, who to call, and how to keep a record — so nothing critical gets missed while you're under pressure.

Step by step

1. Work the "First 24 Hours" checklist: freeze your credit with all three US bureaus (or Cifas in the UK), change critical passwords, enable 2FA and call your bank.
2. Move to "Week 1 Actions": report to IdentityTheft.gov (US) or Action Fraud (UK), file a police report, and review your credit reports.
3. Use the Key Contacts Directory — verified phone numbers and websites for the credit bureaus, the FTC, Cifas and Action Fraud.
4. Log every organisation you contact in the Case Tracking Log, with dates, reference numbers and follow-up dates.
5. Keep the "If this happens, do this" guide to hand for the warning signs that mean act now.

• A "First 24 Hours" immediate-action checklist
• A "Week 1 Actions" reporting and review checklist
• Key Contacts Directory with real phones and websites
• US credit bureaus, the FTC, Cifas and Action Fraud (UK)
• A Case Tracking Log for every agency and reference number
• An "If this happens, do this" red-flag guide — delivered as PDF