identity-theft-recovery

Identity Theft Recovery

Identity theft feels chaotic, but recovery is a sequence: stop new damage, prove it happened, dispute what's fraudulent, and lock things down so it can't recur. This lays out those steps in order — what to do in the first hours, who to report to, and how to dispute fraudulent accounts — so you act decisively instead of panicking.

What This Skill Produces

• The immediate actions — freeze/lock credit, change passwords, contact affected institutions, in priority order
• The reporting plan — the official identity-theft report and the right authorities/agencies for your country, plus a report to police where relevant
• The evidence log — what to record (dates, names, reference numbers, letters) to support disputes
• The dispute path — how to challenge fraudulent accounts, charges, and records, and get them removed
• Ongoing protection — credit monitoring, fraud alerts, and account hardening so it doesn't recur
• Escalation flags — when to involve police, regulators, or a specialist, using official channels only

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• What happened — what was stolen/misused (card, SSN/national ID, accounts, mail)
• How you found out — a charge, a denial, a notification, a collection notice
• What's affected — specific accounts, new accounts opened in your name, charges
• Your country/region — determines the official reporting bodies and rights
• What you've done so far — any calls, freezes, or reports already made

Framework: Contain, Report, Dispute, Protect

1. Contain first. Freeze/lock credit, secure compromised logins (unique passwords + 2FA), and contact the directly affected institutions to stop new damage.
2. Create the official record. File the country's identity-theft report and, where relevant, a police report — many disputes require this reference.
3. Document everything. A dated log of every call, name, and reference number is the backbone of every dispute.
4. Dispute the fraud. Challenge fraudulent accounts and charges in writing, citing your identity-theft report; request removal and confirmation.
5. Lock it down long-term. Fraud alerts, ongoing monitoring, and hardened accounts prevent the second wave.
6. Use official channels. Report through the real agency/bank sites and numbers — never links from the suspicious message itself.

Output Format

Identity theft recovery: [what was stolen] · [region]

Do now (in order)

1. Freeze/lock credit with [the bureaus/agency for your region].
2. Secure accounts: unique passwords + 2FA on [affected + email].
3. Contact [directly affected institutions] to flag fraud.

Report: file [official ID-theft report] · police report if [criminal/required]. Keep the reference numbers.

Document: log every contact — date, name, reference #.

Dispute: [fraudulent accounts/charges] in writing, citing your report; demand removal + written confirmation.

Ongoing: fraud alert · monitoring · hardened logins.

> Use only official agency/bank websites and phone numbers — never a link or number from the suspicious message.

Quality Checks

• [ ] Immediate containment (freeze, secure logins, contact institutions) comes first
• [ ] Points to the correct official reporting body for the region
• [ ] Stresses a documented log of every contact
• [ ] Gives a written dispute path citing the ID-theft report
• [ ] Sets up ongoing monitoring/hardening
• [ ] Warns to use official channels, not links from the scam

Anti-Patterns

• Disputing before freezing — new fraud keeps piling on.
• No official report — many removals require the reference number.
• No documentation — disputes stall without records.
• Using contact details from the scam message itself.
• Stopping at cleanup with no ongoing monitoring.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Someone opened a credit card in my name — what do I do?"
• "I think my identity's been stolen, help me recover."
• "There are fraudulent charges and a loan I never took out."
• "My details were used to file something fraudulently — where do I start?"
• "How do I dispute accounts opened by an identity thief?"