Organize What Happened. Find the Right Kind of Help.

We help document unfamiliar activity, organize recovery paperwork, and identify questions that may call for legal review. If attorney-referral options are appropriate and available, we can discuss them without promising representation or a particular legal result.

  1. Build a Timeline

    List the accounts, notices, dates, and activity that raised your concern. Keep verified facts separate from assumptions.

  2. Organize Recovery Steps

    Use official identity-theft resources and keep recovery reports, account correspondence, and confirmation details together.

  3. Recognize When Legal Help Matters

    Court papers, employment-reporting concerns, or unresolved identity-theft issues may need advice from a qualified attorney.

What to Have Ready

You do not need a perfect file. Start with what you have and make a note of anything missing.

  • The report, notice, or account entry you do not recognize.
  • A timeline of when you discovered the issue.
  • Records of contacts with businesses or reporting companies.
  • Any existing recovery report, dispute response, or court document.

Keep these records for your own review. Do not share full account numbers, identification documents, or private financial records through the contact form.

What to Know Before You Begin

An unfamiliar entry is not automatically identity theft. A referral is not an attorney-client relationship or a promise that a lawyer will accept a case. Do not wait for an intake conversation if you have a court deadline.

Sources: CFPB: When You Don’t Recognize a Creditor (opens in a new tab) · FTC: Identity Theft and Recovery (opens in a new tab) · FTC: If a Debt Collector Sues You (opens in a new tab).

Common Questions

Where can I begin if I suspect identity theft?

The Federal Trade Commission’s IdentityTheft.gov is an official starting point for reporting identity theft and developing a recovery plan. Keep copies of the records it helps you create.

Does a credit freeze remove a fraudulent account?

No. A freeze helps restrict access to a credit report for new-credit purposes; an existing fraudulent account still needs to be addressed separately. See the unfamiliar-account guide for the distinction.