Honest DIY strategy

How to dispute a identity-theft account

What actually works versus what’s myth — the exact letters to send, in order, and the accuracy rules that keep you on the right side of the law.

All dispute strategies › Identity-theft account

The honest reality

This has the strongest legal tool of all: an FTC Identity Theft Report (file at IdentityTheft.gov) lets you BLOCK the fraudulent account under FCRA § 605B, and the bureau must block it within 4 business days. Pair that with a fraud alert/freeze so no new fraud accounts open.

Your dispute sequence

Restore paces these into rounds and tracks each 30-day deadline. Send them in this order:

  1. Police
    Send: Identity-Theft Police Report (template)
    File a police report (template provided). Your FTC report + police report = an FCRA "Identity Theft Report."
  2. Credit bureaus
    Send: Identity Theft Block
    With that Identity Theft Report, demand a § 605B block — the fastest, strongest removal (4 business days).
  3. Creditor / collector
    Send: ID-Theft Records Request (to creditor)
    Demand the fraud application/transaction records (§ 609(e)) and that the creditor stop reporting it.
  4. Credit bureaus
    Send: Fraud Alert / Security Freeze
    Place a free fraud alert + security freeze to stop further fraud.

Accuracy rule (read this first)

Use the real identity-theft tools only for genuine fraud. Filing a FALSE identity-theft report (to police, the FTC, or a creditor) to delete an accurate debt is a federal crime — never do this.

How to mail each letter

  1. Print the letter the tool generated and fill in your address block at the top.
  2. Sign and date it by hand — never type your signature.
  3. Attach copies (never originals) of any proof: receipts, statements, the report page, your ID.
  4. Mail it CERTIFIED with return receipt so you have proof of the date they received it.
  5. Save the green card / tracking number and a copy of everything you sent.
  6. Calendar 30 days — that is the bureau's deadline to reinvestigate under FCRA § 611.

Let Restore run this identity-theft account plan for you

We generate each letter in the sequence, cite the right statute, track every 30-day deadline, and tell you when to send the next round. Free to start.

Start disputing free →

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Restore Credit is software that helps you exercise your rights under the FCRA (15 U.S.C. §1681 et seq.) and FDCPA (15 U.S.C. §1692 et seq.). It is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice, and no outcome — including item removal or score improvement — is guaranteed. Only dispute information you have a good-faith basis to believe is inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or unverifiable; submitting false information to a credit bureau can be unlawful. For advice about your specific situation, consult a licensed attorney.