Identity theft rarely stops at one bad charge. Someone may open new accounts in your name, make purchases, or claim a tax refund. The FTC describes identity theft in just those terms. When it happens, you need a place to start, and the FTC points people to IdentityTheft.gov.
What IdentityTheft.gov is, and what the title means
IdentityTheft.gov is the federal government's resource for identity theft victims. The FTC describes it as a place to report and recover from identity theft. Its recovery plans and checklists are the heart of the site. You report what happened, and the site builds a plan with steps to follow.
This article's working title mentioned an "Automated Recovery Plan." That is not an official name that the FTC sources confirm. The closest real things are the personalized recovery plan on the site and the FTC's printable recovery guide with a checklist. Think of the plan as a guided set of steps, not a system that fixes accounts for you. The sources we reviewed do not say that the site contacts lenders or credit bureaus on your behalf, so do not assume it does.
The steps the FTC lays out
The FTC groups recovery steps into three buckets: what to do right away, what to do next, and other possible steps. That structure helps when you feel overwhelmed. Start with the first bucket and work down.
The FTC's wider recovery advice, found in its consumer guidance on getting help at IdentityTheft.gov, is where most people will look for specifics. Commonly cited actions in identity theft recovery include the following. Confirm the exact order and details on the FTC's own pages, because the excerpts we had did not spell them out.
- Place a fraud alert with the credit bureaus.
- Consider a credit freeze.
- Review your credit reports for accounts you do not recognize. Free reports are available through AnnualCreditReport.com.
- Report the theft and keep a copy of your plan.
None of these is a substitute for reading the live plan. Your own steps depend on what was stolen and how it was used.
Where complex cases get harder
The core question here is how the site handles complex fraud, such as several fraudulent accounts, more than one victim, or a scheme that runs for months. The sources we reviewed do not answer it. They do not describe the forms, the timelines, or what happens when a case outgrows the online plan.
They also do not say how the plan works alongside a credit freeze, a fraud alert, or a dispute with a credit bureau. They are silent on law enforcement involvement and on dealing with creditors directly. No source we found measures how well the plan works for victims, either.
So the honest advice for a complicated case is practical. Start the plan, then keep your own file. Save every document you submit. Log the date of each call. Write down the name of each person you speak with. If a lender or bureau asks for proof, you will have it.
Paid services and scam warnings
The FTC says the IdentityTheft.gov recovery plans are free. That claim comes through a listing that repeats FTC program information, so confirm it on the FTC's own site. The FTC also separates paid services into two kinds. Monitoring services watch for signs that a thief is using your information. Recovery services help you deal with the damage afterward.
The FTC states that no service can stop your personal information from being stolen. Any company that promises to prevent identity theft is making a claim the FTC contradicts. Before you pay for anything, the FTC advises weighing costs and benefits and comparing paid options with free and low-cost ones, including the free plan.
Impersonation is the other risk. Scammers pose as well-known organizations, and an unexpected call or message claiming to be from an agency can itself be a warning sign. Type the web address yourself instead of tapping a link in a message. Look for a .gov address before you enter a Social Security number or any other private detail.
Some vendors publish fraud statistics, and one reports rising identity theft reports in 2025. That analysis comes from a commercial blog, not the FTC, and it mixes FTC data with the vendor's own survey results. Treat its projections as estimates.
