If you, unfortunately, become a victim of identity theft, the earlier you catch signs of fraud the better. Early detection can save you time and money. It can take months and even years to recover from identity theft. The quicker you take action, the faster you can recover from the fraud.

With swift action, you can help reduce and even stop damage to your credit, finances and identity. Recovering from identity theft can include:

• Filing police reports, especially if a creditor or other company requires a police report for their records
• Reporting identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission
• Reporting identity theft to the three major credit bureaus
• Possibly placing a freeze on your credit report
• Notifying financial institutions and other companies you have accounts under
• Disputing inaccuracies on your credit report
• Informing debt collection agencies of identity theft.

One important way you can get in front of identity theft is to monitor your credit and identity. Active credit monitoring can alert you to suspicious activity and identity fraud, saving you time and money.