I gave out my Social Security number
This is not a catastrophe, and you do not need a new number.
Your Social Security number alone doesn't let anyone take money out of your accounts. What it lets someone do is open new things in your name — and there is a free, reliable way to block that.
About an hour of work, and most of the risk closes.
1. Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
This is the one that matters most. A freeze stops anyone — including a thief with your number — from opening a new credit account in your name.
It is free, it does not affect your credit score, and it does not affect cards you already have. You can lift it any time you actually need credit, usually within minutes online.
| Bureau | Phone |
|---|---|
| Equifax | 888-378-4329 |
| Experian | 888-397-3742 |
| TransUnion | 800-916-8800 |
Do all three. A freeze at one does nothing about the other two.
2. Open a recovery plan at identitytheft.gov
Free, run by the FTC. It asks what happened and produces a personal checklist plus prefilled letters. It's the single most useful hour you can spend, and it also files your FTC report at the same time.
3. Create your Social Security online account
Go to ssa.gov and set up an account if you don't have one — or call 800-772-1213.
The reason: if you don't claim your own account, someone with your number could create one and redirect your benefits. Occupying it yourself closes that door.
4. Check your credit reports
annualcreditreport.com, or 877-322-8228. Free, and this is the only official site.
Look for accounts you never opened and addresses that aren't yours. Check again in three months, and again in six.
5. File the reports
- reportfraud.ftc.gov (done automatically if you used identitytheft.gov)
- ic3.gov if it involved a call, text, email, or website
- Local police, if you want a report number — some creditors ask for one
Then just watch, for about a year
- Your mail. A letter about an account you didn't open is the earliest signal. So is mail suddenly stopping — thieves file address changes.
- Your tax filing. If a return is rejected as already filed, contact the IRS Identity Protection unit at 800-908-4490.
- Your Social Security statement, once a year, at ssa.gov.
- Consider an IRS Identity Protection PIN — a free six-digit number that blocks anyone else from filing a return in your name. Sign up at irs.gov.
Should I get a new Social Security number?
Almost certainly not. The SSA issues new numbers only in rare, documented cases of ongoing harm, and a new number causes lasting problems of its own — your credit history, employment record, and benefits are all tied to the old one, and the two often get linked anyway.
Freezing your credit does more good than a new number would.
What if they also got my bank details?
Call your bank on the number on your card and ask them to reissue the card and watch the account. If it was a debit card, do this today — debit protections are weaker and the time limits are shorter.
An hour, and you've closed the door
A credit freeze is genuinely powerful. It's free, it's reversible, and it stops the main thing anyone could do with your number.
Most people never get around to it. You're about to be someone who has it in place — which puts you ahead of almost everyone, for this and for anything that happens years from now.
Related: How they got your information · I think I was scammed