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Filing a Complaint with the FTC

Instructions for completing the ID Theft Complaint Form

These instructions will give you a basic outline of the information requested on the ID Theft Complaint Form. You should try to give as much detail in your complaint as you can, but leave blank any questions that don’t apply to you, that you prefer to not answer, or for which you don’t have answers. If your information has been stolen or breached but you don’t know if any misuse has occurred, several of the questions will not apply to you. Given the nature of identity theft, you may not have all the details about what happened.  Don’t worry – simply skip those questions and go on to the next.

If you’re ready to go directly to the complaint form, click here.

How do I fill out the online complaint form?

“How Do We Reach You?:”
Please give your current information. Note that your Social Security number will be encrypted in the FTC's database and will not appear if you print the complaint form. If you need to, you can hand write your Social Security number on the printed complaint form, such as at the police station, or when sending the form to a company.

“Complete if different from above when the events took place:”
Only complete this section if your name and/or contact information has changed since the theft was committed.

“Tell us about your problem”

  1. “Types of Identity Theft You Have Experienced:”
    Please indicate how the identity thief used your information to commit fraud.
  2. “Summary of Complaint:”
    Briefly describe what happened in your case. Please note the details requested on the form.
  3. “Details of the Identity Theft:”
    Please answer each section of question number 3 as completely as you can. Please include what you may know about the identity thief, how the thief may have gotten your information, when the theft took place, how the thief used your information, how much money the thief has gotten, and how much the theft has cost you in out-of-pocket expenses. When dates or dollar amounts are requested, an estimate is fine.
  4. “The Identity Thief:”
    Provide as much information as you have about the person who committed the identity theft.
  5. “Contacts:”
    Use the check boxes to show which credit reporting companies you have contacted, and for what purposes. If you’ve had problems with the credit reporting companies, such as difficulties communicating with them or resolving the errors on your credit reports, please check the boxes by “Problem With Credit Bureau.” Please describe any of these problems you had in the "Summary of Complaint" section, which you can reach by scrolling back up the screen.

    Box: “Inaccurate Information on Credit Report:”
    Please use this space to list the errors on your credit report that result from the identity theft. The credit reporting companies should remove from your credit report the inaccurate information that you list here because it is the result of your identity theft. "Personal Information" includes errors in your own information, or the fraudulent addition of someone else's personal information. "Companies that requested your credit report without your knowledge" includes credit report inquiries caused by the identity thief trying to use your personal information to open accounts.

    Law Enforcement Information:
    If you contacted the police before filling out your ID Theft Complaint, please enter the information requested. If you tried to file a police report but the police would not take the report, please say so in the “report number” box. This information will not print out on the ID Theft Complaint Form. You can write it on your printed form.

    If you have not yet filed a police report, take a printed copy of this Complaint Form when you do. Ask the police to fill out the section entitled “Law Enforcement Report Information” when you file your police report.
  6. “Companies:”
    Please list each account where the thief used your information. Give as many details as possible. If more than one account was opened at an institution, list each account separately. When you file your ID Theft Report with the credit reporting companies, they should block these accounts from appearing on your credit report because the accounts result from your identity theft. Note: If you need to report more than three companies, please fill out a second Complaint Form. If you fill out a second form, please include only your contact information and the information requested in this section.
  7. “Documentation:”
    Please indicate the type of identification that you will use, or have already used, with law enforcement or companies you contact.

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How do I send the complaint to the FTC?
When you’ve completed as much of the form as you can, and are satisfied with your responses, click the "Submit" button to send the complaint to the FTC. If you hit the "Reset" button, all of the information you have entered will be wiped off the screen and disappear.

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How do I print this form?
Once you’ve submitted your online complaint to the FTC, your information will reappear on screen in a different format. You should then print it out for your records.

Note: Before you print, you may want to make sure that the margins have been set correctly in your web browser. Use the "Print Preview" button located in the "File" section of your toolbar to do this. If you find that your margins have been set incorrectly, you may correct them by using the "Page Setup" button located in the "File" section of your toolbar.

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Will I get a confirmation notice from the FTC?
Within two business days of submitting your online complaint to the FTC, the FTC will send you a response by email or U.S. mail. It will include the FTC Reference Number assigned to your complaint. Be sure to write this reference number in the “universal report number” block that is in the “Law Enforcement Report Information” section of your printed ID Theft Complaint Form.

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