What to Do If Your Identity Is Stolen in California

A collections call about a loan you never took out. A bank letter congratulating you on an account you never opened. That cold feeling in your stomach is the start of identity theft — and California gives victims some of the strongest recovery tools in the country. Here’s exactly what to do, in order.

Hour one: lock it down

Move fast on these three, in this order:

1. Freeze your credit at all three bureaus. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion each offer free security freezes — federal law requires it, and California (Civil Code 1785.11.2) reinforces your right to freeze at no charge. A freeze blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. In California, freezes go into effect almost immediately when you request them online.
2. Call your bank and card issuers. Report any unauthorized transactions. For bank accounts, file disputes in writing — Regulation E protections (federal) cover electronic transfers, and written disputes trigger hard investigation deadlines.
3. File an FTC identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov. This generates your personal recovery plan and an official Identity Theft Report — a document you’ll hand to creditors and police. It’s the single most useful piece of paper in the process.

Day one: create the paper trail

• File a police report with your local department. Bring your FTC report, a photo ID, and proof of address. California Penal Code 530.5 makes identity theft a crime, and a police report strengthens every dispute you’ll file afterward.
• Request your free credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com and flag every account you don’t recognize.
• Add a fraud alert. An initial fraud alert lasts one year (extended alerts last seven) and tells creditors to verify your identity before opening new accounts. Under California law (Civil Code 1785.19.3), identity theft victims can place an extended fraud alert with a police report.
• Contact the creditors for every fraudulent account. Tell them in writing that the account is the result of identity theft, send copies of your FTC report and police report, and ask them to close or freeze the account.

California-specific rights most victims don’t know

• Up to 12 free credit disclosures in 12 months. California identity theft victims can request up to 12 free copies of their credit file from each bureau in a consecutive 12-month period (Civil Code 1785.20.5) — far beyond the federal free annual report.
• Block fraudulent accounts. You can ask credit bureaus to block information resulting from identity theft so it stops appearing on your reports.
• Sue for damages. California law allows identity theft victims to recover actual damages, attorney’s fees, and even civil penalties against creditors and collectors who keep pursuing debts that aren’t yours.
• The California Attorney General’s office maintains an identity theft resource page with victim checklists and contact information for local law enforcement.

Scrub the fraudulent accounts

For every account you didn’t open:

1. Write to each credit bureau that lists it, identifying the fraudulent information and attaching your FTC Identity Theft Report and police report. Request that the account be blocked and removed.
2. Write separately to the creditor or debt collector that furnished it, with the same documentation, and demand they stop reporting it.
3. Keep copies of everything — every letter, every certified mail receipt, every fax confirmation. Log dates, names, and reference numbers for every phone call.
4. Follow up in 35–45 days. If the fraudulent items are still there, escalate: file a CFPB complaint, contact the California Attorney General’s consumer protection division, and consider consulting a consumer attorney — many take identity theft cases on contingency.

Protect yourself going forward

• Keep the credit freezes in place permanently; you can lift them temporarily when you apply for credit.
• File your taxes early — tax identity theft is rampant, and an early return beats a thief’s.
• Watch for phishing that follows the theft: thieves often sell victim lists.
• Consider an IRS Identity Protection PIN if you were a tax fraud victim.

Our free California identity theft guide includes a 48-hour action checklist, sample dispute letters, and a log sheet for tracking every call and letter.

Get the free kit

Download the free California identity theft guide — the 48-hour checklist, dispute letter templates, and tracking log, all in one place. From the Compliance Alliance Network, free forever.

For educational purposes only. This is not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is established by reading this article or downloading any linked materials.