identity-theft-recovery

name: identity-theft-recoverydescription: "Take back control after identity theft — the right first moves, in the right order, so you contain the damage and rebuild. Use when asked what to do about identity theft, someone stole my identity, my details are being used fraudulently, or help me recover from fraud. Produces an immediate-actions checklist (freeze, report, secure), an evidence and reporting plan for the right authorities and institutions, a dispute path for fraudulent accounts/charges, and an ongoing-monitoring setup — flagging where to use official channels and when to involve police/regulators."

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?"