WHEN THIS MAY HELP

Check the fit first.

• Use when a specific account, inquiry, address, debt, or other item on your consumer report resulted from identity theft and you can identify the item and the company reporting it.
• Use when you are preparing to request a block of identity-theft-related information from a credit reporting company and need to organize an Identity Theft Report, proof of identity, and a marked report copy.
• Use when a creditor, bank, debt collector, or credit reporting company asks for documentation to investigate an account that you genuinely did not open or authorize because of identity theft.
• Use after verifying the recipient's current fraud, dispute, or identity-theft submission instructions through its official website or a trusted number on your report or statement.

LIMITS TO KEEP IN VIEW

What this does not do.

• Use this checklist only for facts you believe are true. It is not an affidavit, a police report, an FTC Identity Theft Report, legal advice, or a representation that any item will be deleted. Create an Identity Theft Report and recovery plan at https://www.IdentityTheft.gov/ if appropriate.
• This is different from an ordinary FCRA credit-report error dispute: an accurate item is not removable merely because it is unfavorable. It is also different from an FDCPA consumer-debt collection matter; the FDCPA generally concerns covered consumer debt collectors, not every original creditor or business debt.
• A credit reporting company may require an Identity Theft Report, proof of identity, a letter identifying the fraudulent items, and other documentation. Follow the recipient's current instructions; do not mail originals or assume an address is current.
• Keep only copies and minimize sensitive data. Do not put a full Social Security number, full account or card number, birth date, passwords, or security answers in this worksheet or ordinary correspondence unless a verified recipient specifically directs a secure method.
• An identity-theft-related request does not cancel a debt, decide liability, stop a lawsuit, or extend a court, payment, reporting, or other deadline. Read all notices and get qualified help promptly if a deadline applies.
• Review every statement and attachment before use. This educational worksheet is not a legally compliant contract, representation, or automatic submission service.

A PRACTICAL SEQUENCE

Before you use it.

1. Review your consumer reports and account notices. Record only the specific item(s) you genuinely believe resulted from identity theft, the source company, account type, dates, and any non-sensitive last four digits or reference in the worksheet.
2. Create or retrieve an Identity Theft Report and recovery plan through https://www.IdentityTheft.gov/ when appropriate. Preserve related notices, statements, screenshots, and correspondence; do not alter evidence.
3. Verify the intended recipient and its current identity-theft or dispute instructions before sending anything. Use the recipient's official website, a trusted phone number on your report or statement, or CFPB/FTC guidance—never an address or link supplied by an unexpected caller, text, or email.
4. Make a complete copy or scan of this completed checklist, any companion letter, your marked credit-report pages, the Identity Theft Report, proof-of-identity copy, and every attachment. Never send originals unless a verified recipient specifically requires them.
5. Send only the materials the verified recipient requests, using its approved secure method. If mailing is appropriate, record the date, address used, tracking or certified-mail number, and delivery confirmation in your records. Do not fabricate or have anyone else sign a document for you.
6. Keep a communication log and follow up by verifying receipt, stated response date, and any applicable deadline. Check later reports or responses for the specific item; do not assume deletion or a universal 30-day result.