How to Get Your Money Back After a Scam
Card chargebacks, wire recalls, Zelle/Venmo disputes, gift cards and crypto — ranked by your real odds of recovery.
Read the guide →Key takeaways
- Start at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC's official recovery site. Your FTC Identity Theft Report is the legal key that forces credit bureaus to block fraudulent accounts.
- Place a free one-year fraud alert with any one credit bureau (it must notify the other two), then freeze your credit at all three.
- You only need a police report in certain cases: a creditor demands one, you know the thief, or someone gave your name to police.
- Dispute fraudulent accounts in writing with your FTC report attached. Under FCRA section 605B, bureaus must block them within four business days.
- Keep every letter, confirmation number, and date. A written paper trail — not phone calls — is what repairs your credit.
Discovering that someone opened accounts, filed a tax return, or ran up debt in your name is disorienting, and many victims waste precious days calling the wrong places. The fix is a sequence, not a scramble: federal law gives you specific rights, each unlocked by a specific document. Follow the steps below in order.
The FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network logged over one million identity theft reports in 2024 alone. You are not careless, and you are not alone.
Note: reporting identity theft (this page) is different from reporting a scam where you were tricked into sending money. If you paid a scammer, also see where to report a scam and how to try to get your money back.
Report identity theft in six steps
-
File your report at IdentityTheft.gov
Go to IdentityTheft.gov (or call the FTC at 1-877-438-4338). Answer the questions and the site produces a personal recovery plan with pre-filled letters, plus your official FTC Identity Theft Report. That report matters legally: under section 605B of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, it obligates the credit bureaus to block fraudulent accounts from your file within four business days of your request — far stronger than an ordinary dispute — and it unlocks a seven-year extended fraud alert. Save the PDF and reference number; you'll attach it to nearly everything else.
-
Place a fraud alert, then freeze your credit at all three bureaus
Ask any one of the three nationwide credit bureaus for an initial fraud alert — free, one year, renewable, and the bureau you contact must notify the other two. Then place a free security freeze individually with all three — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A freeze blocks new accounts in your name and doesn't affect your credit score. Then pull your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com — the official, federally authorized source — and list everything you don't recognize. Our credit freeze and fraud alert guide covers each bureau's process in detail.
-
Call the fraud department of every affected company
For each account the thief opened or took over — bank, card issuer, phone carrier, retailer — call the company's fraud department, not general customer service. Ask them to close the account, remove fraudulent charges, and send written confirmation that it isn't yours and you're not liable. Change passwords and PINs on your real accounts and turn on two-factor authentication. Note every representative's name and case number.
-
File a police report — when you actually need one
Most victims don't need one; the FTC Identity Theft Report is usually enough. Go to your local police department when a creditor, bank, or bureau specifically requires it; when you know who the thief is (a family member, roommate, or ex, say); or when the thief used your name during an arrest or traffic stop. Bring your FTC report, photo ID, proof of address, and evidence such as bills or collection notices, and ask for a copy of the report or its number.
-
Dispute the fraudulent accounts with the bureaus — in writing
Send each bureau a written dispute (certified mail with return receipt is best) listing every fraudulent account and inquiry, with your FTC Identity Theft Report and proof of identity attached. Ask them to block the items under FCRA section 605B — use that word. Once they accept your report, they must block the items within four business days and notify the companies that furnished them, which then can't sell the debt or send it to collections. Send a similar letter to each lender or collector reporting the account. IdentityTheft.gov generates these letters; keep copies of everything.
-
Handle the special cases that apply to you
Tax refund fraud, SSN misuse, medical and child identity theft, and data-breach exposure each have their own official channel — covered next. Do only the parts that match your situation.
Watch for the second scam. Anyone who contacts you out of the blue claiming they can restore your credit, recover your losses, or "remove you from a fraud list" for a fee is running a scam — often using details from the original theft to sound credible. Every official step on this page is free, and government agencies never call to demand payment. Report these contacts at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Special situations
Tax identity theft
If someone filed a tax return with your SSN — often discovered when the IRS rejects your e-filed return — complete IRS Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit. You can submit it through IdentityTheft.gov, which sends it to the IRS electronically. Also get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) — a six-digit code that stops anyone else from filing under your SSN. The IRS Identity Protection line is 1-800-908-4490.
Social Security number misuse
Create a my Social Security account and check your earnings record for wages you didn't earn — a sign someone is working under your number. Report benefit-related fraud to the SSA Office of the Inspector General. The SSA issues new SSNs only in extreme cases, so the practical defense is the freeze, the IP PIN, and monitoring.
Medical identity theft
If someone used your identity to get treatment or prescriptions, request your records from the provider, review your insurer's explanation-of-benefits statements, and ask both to correct the file in writing. Report it to your insurer's fraud line; Medicare beneficiaries can call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227). Wrong medical records can affect your future care, not just your bills.
Child identity theft
A child's clean credit file is a favorite target, and the theft often goes unnoticed for years. Ask each bureau to run a manual search for a file in your child's name and SSN; if one exists, file at IdentityTheft.gov on the child's behalf and dispute everything. Federal law lets you freeze a minor's credit for free even if no file exists yet. Similar schemes hit seniors — see our elder fraud guide if you're helping an older relative.
Data-breach exposure (no misuse yet)
If your information leaked in a breach but nothing fraudulent has appeared, skip the full six steps: freeze your credit at all three bureaus, set up an IRS IP PIN if your SSN was exposed, change affected passwords, and watch your statements. IdentityTheft.gov's "data breach notice" track tailors the checklist to what leaked.
Follow-through: the timeline and the paper trail
Recovery is a weeks-to-months project, not a single afternoon. A realistic schedule:
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Day 1–2 | IdentityTheft.gov report, fraud alert, calls to affected companies' fraud departments, password changes. |
| Week 1 | Freezes at all three bureaus, pull credit reports, police report if needed, mail written disputes with your FTC report attached. |
| Weeks 2–6 | Bureaus block 605B items within four business days of accepting your report; standard disputes resolve in about 30 days. Confirm removals in writing and re-dispute anything that survives. |
| Months 2–12 | Re-check reports every few months, keep the freeze on, and convert the fraud alert to a seven-year extended alert using your identity theft report. |
Keep a dedicated folder with every report, letter, confirmation number, certified-mail receipt, and a dated log of every call. If a blocked account resurfaces or a collector calls about a fraudulent debt years later, that folder shuts it down in one letter instead of six.
Once the emergency is handled, set up ongoing monitoring: your bank's free transaction alerts, free credit reports, and — if you want someone watching for new accounts, dark-web exposure, and address changes — a paid identity-protection service. Our identity theft protection guide covers what these services can and can't do before you pay for one.
One more thing: if you learned about fraud from the inside — as an employee or contractor who can see an ongoing scheme — U.S. government whistleblower reward programs pay 10–30% of what's recovered to the people who report it. That's a different path from victim recovery, and it can be substantial.
Frequently asked questions
Is the FTC Identity Theft Report the same as a police report?
No. The FTC Identity Theft Report is a sworn federal report you create at IdentityTheft.gov, and for most purposes — blocking accounts under FCRA 605B, extended fraud alerts, dealing with collectors — it's the document that counts. A police report is a separate local filing you add when a creditor requires it, you know the thief, or your name was used in a crime.
Do I need a police report to report identity theft?
Usually not. Get one when a company specifically demands it, when you know who committed the theft, or when someone gave your name to law enforcement (criminal impersonation). Otherwise the FTC Identity Theft Report typically carries the legal weight you need.
What's the difference between a fraud alert and a credit freeze?
A fraud alert (free, one year, one bureau notifies the others) tells lenders to verify your identity before issuing credit but doesn't stop them. A credit freeze (free, placed separately at each bureau, lasts until you lift it) blocks new-account credit checks entirely and is the stronger protection. Most victims should do both — see our step-by-step freeze guide.
How long does identity theft recovery take?
The urgent steps take a day or two. Credit bureaus must block items covered by your identity theft report within four business days of accepting it, and ordinary disputes resolve in about 30 days. Full cleanup — especially tax, medical, or criminal-record cases — commonly takes several months, which is why the written paper trail matters.
Should I pay someone to fix my identity theft?
You never have to — every official step is free, and IdentityTheft.gov generates the letters for you. Be especially wary of anyone who contacts you promising recovery for an upfront fee; that's a known follow-up scam. Legitimate identity-protection services can help with monitoring and restoration assistance going forward, but they can't do anything the free process can't.
Someone is using my SSN to work. What do I do?
Check your earnings record through a my Social Security account and report discrepancies to the SSA. File at IdentityTheft.gov, get an IRS IP PIN so the imposter's wages don't tangle your tax filings, and submit IRS Form 14039 if a return was filed in your name.
Last updated: July 4, 2026. AntiFraud.com links only to official and nonprofit help channels — never paid "recovery services" — read our methodology.