New FTC Website for Identity Theft Victims Offers Personal Recovery Plans

Identity theft is a big problem and it takes time and effort to deal with the issues that it causes. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has a new tool that makes it easier for identity theft victims to recover from identity theft by providing a personal recovery plan. No matter what the person’s specific identity theft situation is, IdentityTheft.gov can help. The website has information—and recovery plans—for more than 30 types of identity theft, including child identity theft and tax-related identity theft.

As the nation’s consumer protection agency, the FTC has been helping people combat identity theft for years. IdentityTheft.gov is the next evolution in helping people report and recover from identity theft.

At IdentityTheft.gov, victims of identity theft can:

• Get a personal recovery plan that walks you through each step
• Update your plan and track your progress
• Print pre-filled letters & forms to send to credit bureaus, businesses, and debt collectors

One of the most useful features of the system is that it offers customized pre-filled letters and forms that identity theft victims can use to solve the problems caused by the theft. Another helpful feature is the ability to create an account so users can come back to their personal recovery plan, review it, update it, and track their progress as they go through the steps in their plan. They even get reminders about what to do next!

The system is available in Spanish, too. Spanish-speakers will get their recovery plan and step-by-step guidance in their language. They also will be able to read sample letters in Spanish and send pre-filled letters in English to the companies the need to contact to resolve their identity theft issues.

IdentityTheft.gov dramatically changes the way people recover from identity theft by providing a personal recovery plan, rather than informational advice. Never before have identity theft victims had a resource like this one.

Rosario Méndez works in the Division of Consumer and Business Education of the Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC. That division’s mission is to provide the public information about consumer protection issues and tools to help them avoid consumer harm.