If you think you’re experiencing identity theft and you’re an Allstate Identity Protection member, our specialists are available 24/7 to help manage the recovery process. If you aren’t covered by our services, you can still use our free educational resources—like this article—to learn how to report identity theft and protect your credit and finances.
There are several ways you might discover you’re a victim of identity theft.
If you’re an Allstate Identity Protection member, you may receive an alert about suspicious activity directly from us. Or you could get an email, text alert, or letter from a creditor or retailer about an account or purchase you don’t recognize.
You might also spot unfamiliar transactions in your online banking activity or receive collection notices for debts you never incurred.
No matter how you discover the issue, if you’ve been affected by identity theft, it’s important to stay calm, assess the situation, and act quickly. If you’re managing the recovery process on your own, here are some steps you can take to start.
Request a fraud alert or credit freeze
If you suspect fraud, we recommend placing a fraud alert on your credit file. A fraud alert makes it harder for a criminal to open a new line of credit in your name by encouraging lenders to verify your identity.
To place a fraud alert, reach out to one of the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. That bureau must notify the other two automatically. A fraud alert is free and now lasts one year.
Second, consider placing a credit freeze on your file. A supplement to a fraud alert, a credit freeze prevents creditors from accessing your file.
Unlike a fraud alert, you need to contact each bureau separately to place a freeze: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Credit freezes are free and remain in place until you lift them.
Review your credit reports and note all fraudulent accounts
Once you’ve secured your credit files, it’s time to review your records for suspicious activity.
When you contact the credit bureaus, explain that you’ve been a victim of identity theft and request copies of your credit reports. (You’re entitled to free credit reports from each bureau at any time through AnnualCreditReport.com. As of 2024, you can check them weekly for free.)
When you receive your reports, review them thoroughly for any inaccuracies. If you note any fraudulent data, contact each credit bureau again and request that they remove the fraudulent accounts or information from your credit report. You should be able to do this online or by mail.
You should also make a list of the companies and creditors where your information has been used without your permission.
Contact all the companies where you know fraud happened
Next, you’ll need to start closing or freezing any compromised accounts.
Call each company or financial institution where your information was misused. Explain that you’re a victim of identity theft and ask them to:
Freeze or close all fraudulent accounts
Flag your existing account for additional security
Send you confirmation letters stating the account is closed or the debt has been discharged
If fraud occurred in an account you still use, immediately change your passwords, update your PINs, and turn on multi-factor authentication to prevent further misuse.
Create an official identity theft report
To help support your claims and clean up your records, you’ll need an official report. File an official identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at IdentityTheft.gov.
The FTC is a helpful resource for reporting the crime, and may even provide you with official letters and documents you can use in your correspondence with credit bureaus and businesses. Having this report is essential for proving that the fraud wasn’t your fault.
If you’re recovering from identity theft, our services can help
The research. The phone calls. The paperwork. Managing identity theft recovery yourself can be time-consuming—and stressful. If following all these steps feels daunting, we’ve got you covered.
Working with specialists like ours can help streamline the process. We help members resolve identity theft every day, so our specialists figure out a game plan for every scenario.
In many cases, if you’re a member and you’re experiencing identity theft, our specialists can file the necessary paperwork on your behalf, make phone calls to creditors and agencies, help you place freezes and fraud alerts, and take on limited power of attorney to handle remediation tasks if you authorize us.*
Whether you use our services or not, we hope resources like this can help you feel more prepared and proactive about protecting your identity.
*Coverage may vary by jurisdiction and based on individual policies.
