Is someone using your Social Security number for fraudulent purposes? Social Security fraud and identity theft refers to a fraudster or scammer gaining access to your Social Security number and using it to receive your tax refund, secure employment, obtain a driver’s license, and/or receive unemployment benefits or any other state/federal aide.
If you think your Social Security number has been stolen, we recommend that you act immediately by following our guidelines below, and then proceed to our Report, Recover and Reinforce sections for further assistance.
Reporting identity theft incidents to IdentityTheft.gov is very important! The more national reporting data that is collected, the better the chance law enforcement has to catch the criminals and decrease online crime. Although IdentityTheft.gov does not resolve individual complaints directly, they will make your report available to local, state and other law enforcement partners. Please read the IdentityTheft.gov privacy policy here. (If you believe that you’ve received a phishing email, please forward the email directly to reportphishing@apwg.org.)
If someone has filed for unemployment benefits using your personal information, report the fraud to your state unemployment benefits agency. Find your state agency’s contact information here.
These resources have been gathered, selected and vetted to help simplify the process of recovering after a cybercrime incident has taken place. You may need to contact organizations outside FightCybercrime.org. Results will vary depending on your circumstances.
Once you have notified the appropriate organizations and you are on the road to recovery, it is time to reinforce your cybersecurity using these resources and tools.