Act Quickly if You Believe You're a Fraud Victim

We’ve talked a lot about the things you can do to protect yourself against fraud. But it’s also important to know what you should do – ASAP – if you believe you have fallen victim to fraud.

Report these things immediately:

Compromised information. It happens, and sometimes you only realize it later. Whether you gave someone information over the phone, clicked a link in an email, allowed access to your device, what’s important is the next step – and that’s contacting your financial institution immediately.

Missing checks or debit card. If your checks or debit card was stolen or a new debit card never arrived in the mail as expected, reach out to your financial institution immediately.

Transactions you don’t recognize. If you don’t recognize a transaction on your account, notify your financial institution immediately.

Unfamiliar account log-in alerts. If you receive an alert about account activity that you don’t recognize, check your account for any unfamiliar activity. If you find fraudulent transactions, contact your financial institution immediately.

Unusual changes to your credit score or credit report. If you notice activity or accounts on your credit report that you didn’t initiate, it could be that your identity has been stolen. Contact the fraud department of the company in question immediately and reach out to the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion) to freeze your credit.

Bills from accounts you didn’t open. If you receive a bill on an account you didn’t open, don’t just assume it’s a mistake. Contact the business immediately, and then reach out to the credit bureaus to freeze your credit.

Next Steps

After you’ve taken the immediate action above depending on your situation, here are a few other things you should do next:

• Have your phone, computer, or other device cleaned if you believe they have been compromised. (This will cut the connection between the fraudster and your account, so you want to do this before changing your information.)
• Change the username, password, and PIN on any affected accounts.
• Add free fraud alerts with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
• Obtain a free credit report.
• Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov or 1.877.438.4338.
• File a police report with local authorities if appropriate.
• Consider a credit- or fraud-monitoring service.

For a printable version of this list, click here.

Keep Up With Our Fraud Prevention Tips

The sad reality is that fraud is a massive problem that’s not going away.

To help you keep up to date with the latest threats, we’ve created a dedicated page on our website that will help you learn how to spot fraud.

We also encourage you to read our blogs about fraud prevention and follow us on social media for more updates.