Dispute the accounts and freeze your credit

    There's a clear pattern: contact lender → close account → dispute on report → freeze credit. Repeat for each fraudulent entry, and keep every reference number.

    Sample wording for lenders

    'I am reporting an account in my name that I did not open. This is identity theft. Please close the account, mark it as fraudulent in your records, and confirm in writing that I am not liable for the balance. My identity-theft report reference is [number].'

    Sample wording for collectors

    Under FCRA (US), Consumer Credit Act (UK) and the National Consumer Credit Protection Act (AU), collectors must stop chasing you once they're notified of identity theft and given a report reference.

    More from Identity Recovery

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    Rotate breached passwords and re-secure those accounts

    Change passwords on every breached service plus anywhere you reused them.
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    Stop the next breach from hurting you

    Set up monitoring and unique credentials so future breaches don't cascade.
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    Confirm exactly which breach exposed you

    Pin down which services leaked, what fields were exposed, and which passwords are now public.