Debt that is not yours: identity theft first steps

How to tell a stranger's debt from a mistake on your account

Sometimes a debt that looks unfamiliar is a billing error, like a paid balance that never got updated, or a joint account you forgot about. Other times it's a genuinely unfamiliar account opened using your name and information. The difference matters, because a billing error gets fixed with a phone call and a mistaken or stolen identity case needs a formal paper trail.

If you don't recognize the original creditor at all, or the account was opened in a state or at a time you can rule out, that's a strong sign it's not a simple mistake.

The first calls to make once you're sure it isn't yours

Contact the collector in writing to dispute the debt and ask them to stop contact until it's verified. Separately, contact the three credit bureaus to dispute the account if it's already showing on your report. These are two different disputes and both matter, since fixing one doesn't automatically fix the other.

Filing the identity theft report and building your case

The FTC's identity theft site is built specifically for this kind of case and produces a report you can hand to creditors, collectors and bureaus as documentation. It's worth doing even if you're not sure yet how bad the situation is, since the report itself is what opens up some of the dispute protections.

1. File a report describing what happened, including the account, the amount and when you noticed it.
2. Save the report and any confirmation number somewhere you can find it again.
3. Send a written dispute to the original creditor or collector, referencing the report.
4. Send a written dispute to each credit bureau reporting the account.
5. Place a credit freeze so no new accounts can open while the dispute is pending.

Disputing the debt with the collector and the bureaus

A collector has to give you certain information about the debt if you ask, including the amount and the original creditor. If they can't or won't produce it after a proper dispute, that's grounds to keep pushing back rather than paying to make the calls stop.

Freezing your credit so it doesn't happen again

A freeze blocks new creditors from pulling your report to open an account, which stops most identity theft attempts at the source. It's free to place and free to lift when you need to apply for something real, and it's worth doing at all three bureaus, not just one.

Common questions

Do I have to pay anything while the dispute is open?

No. A properly disputed debt that isn't yours doesn't require payment while it's being investigated. If a collector pressures you to pay anyway before the dispute is resolved, treat that as a red flag rather than a deadline.

How long does clearing up identity theft debt usually take?

It varies by case and by how many creditors and bureaus are involved, so there's no single timeline to expect. Keeping copies of every report and letter you send tends to shorten the process, since you won't need to redo work when someone asks for documentation.

What if the debt already shows up on my credit report?

Dispute the specific tradeline with each bureau that lists it, separately from any dispute with the collector. The credit report dispute and the collector dispute are handled by different parties, so both need to happen for the record to fully clear.