Office of the Inspector General, SSA
Social Security Administration
Identity Theft
The Federal Trade Commission provides information to help you resolve financial issues and other problems that can result from identity theft. The FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal cases, but they give you information to help you resolve financial issues and other problems that can result from identify theft. The FTC puts your information into a secure consumer fraud database and may, in appropriate instances, share it with other law enforcement agencies and private entities, including any companies about which you may complain.
You can reach the FTC directly by:
- Phone: 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338) (toll-free)
- Online: www.ftc.gov/idtheft
SSA cannot fix your credit record if someone has misused your Social Security number (SSN) to obtain credit. To resolve your credit problems, you need to contact the institution that authorized the credit and/or issued the credit card, as well as the major credit reporting agencies. Obtain a copy of your credit report and ask that an alert be placed on your credit record requiring that you be contacted before credit is extended using your name and SSN.
The three major credit reporting agencies are:
Equifax - 1-800-525-6285
Trans Union - 1-800-680-7289
Experian - 1-888-397-3742
Work with each credit bureau, creditor, employer, and government agency involved to remove inaccurate information from your records. You should continue checking your credit report annually for inaccuracies. Keep copies of your correspondence, records of your telephone calls, and other documents verifying your efforts to correct the problem.
The Federal government and numerous states have passed laws prohibiting identity theft. Anyone who intentionally uses the Social Security number of another person to establish a new identity or defraud the government is breaking the law.
To get more information about the Social Security numbers and identity theft, download the following publications:
