Identity Theft Resource Center: Free Help for Victims and How to Use It

The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) is a US nonprofit, founded in 1999, that gives identity theft victims free, one-on-one help from trained advisors. As of September 2026, you can reach it by phone or text at 888-400-5530, or by live chat on idtheftcenter.org, Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time. An advisor asks what happened and gives you a custom plan of next steps. The ITRC never charges consumers.

This guide explains what the ITRC does and doesn’t do, how to get the most out of a call, and where it fits alongside your FTC report, a police report and any paid protection you’re weighing. Everything about the ITRC below was checked on its own website in September 2026. Details such as hours can change, so confirm on idtheftcenter.org before you rely on them.

What the Identity Theft Resource Center is

The ITRC describes itself as a national nonprofit, and its FAQ says it is a 501(c)(3) charity that files an annual Form 990 with the IRS. Its stated mission is “to prevent and reduce the impact of identity theft, scams, and fraud.”

It does two broad kinds of work:

• Victim assistance. Advisors help individuals who’ve had their identity stolen, misused or exposed, and help people who want to prevent it.
• Research and public information. It tracks publicly reported data breaches, publishes breach reports and consumer surveys, runs podcasts and issues scam alerts.

On funding, the ITRC says it is largely supported by corporate supporters and foundations, and its website credits grants from the US Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime. Those supporters are why the consumer service is free.

What it isn’t

• It isn’t a government agency. The official federal reporting route for identity theft is the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov. The ITRC helps you use that route; it doesn’t replace it.
• It isn’t a law firm. Advisors give guidance and plans, not legal representation.
• It doesn’t pay you back. The ITRC’s FAQ states plainly that it does not provide financial assistance to cover bills, lost wages or losses from identity theft.
• It isn’t a paid protection service. Its help for consumers is free, so it’s a different thing from the paid identity theft protection products you may see advertised.

What free help the ITRC gives victims

According to the ITRC’s FAQ, a call or chat during business hours follows a simple pattern:

1. You tell the advisor what happened. A fraudulent account, a tax return filed in your name, a hacked email, a breach notice, a scam.
2. The advisor asks questions to work out how far the problem goes.
3. You get a custom action plan. The ITRC says the plan is shared with you live and emailed to you for later reference.

Its Recover page says advisors can help with specialized cases such as medical identity theft and criminal impersonation, not only credit fraud. The Victim Help Center also has topic pages covering account takeover, child identity theft, tax identity theft, deceased identity theft, government identity theft, social media and scams.

If you contact the ITRC outside business hours, the FAQ says you can get basic information about the most common problems or leave a message, and an advisor will follow up on the next business day.

Extra support for people at higher risk

The ITRC runs an Additional Support program for groups it says face particular identity risks, including foster youth, survivors of human trafficking, survivors of domestic violence, older adults, immigrants and refugees, and people with disabilities. Its pages explain how abusers or traffickers can control a person’s documents and open accounts in their name, and it lists a dedicated contact for advocates and survivors on the Victim Help Center page.

If you’re in danger right now, contact local emergency services first. The ITRC can help with the identity side once you’re safe.

How to contact the Identity Theft Resource Center

As of September 2026, the ITRC’s contact page and Recover page list these options:

Method	How	When
Phone	Toll-free 888-400-5530	Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern)
Text	Text the same number, 888-400-5530	Same business hours
Live chat	The chat feature on idtheftcenter.org	Same business hours; basic information or a message after hours
Contact form	The form on the ITRC’s Contact page, choosing “Victim Assistance” as the inquiry type	Any time

Only use the phone number and website you find on idtheftcenter.org itself. Scammers copy the names of trusted organizations, and a number from a search ad, a text message or a social media comment may not be real.

What to have ready before you call

The ITRC’s Quick Start Guide suggests gathering documents before you reach out. A short list keeps the call focused:

• Your FTC identity theft report, if you’ve filed one, and any police report number.
• A copy of your credit report showing accounts you don’t recognize.
• Any data breach notice you received, including which company sent it.
• A timeline: when you first noticed something wrong, and every company you’ve already contacted.
• Letters, emails or texts connected to the fraud, such as collection notices or IRS letters.

Keep your Social Security number and account numbers to yourself. The advisor doesn’t need them to help you, and the ITRC says it doesn’t collect them. It may ask for an email address or phone number so it can send you your plan and resources.

How the ITRC fits with your FTC and police reports

Think of the ITRC as a guide, not a filing office. The formal records that creditors and credit bureaus ask for come from elsewhere:

• The FTC report at IdentityTheft.gov is the official record most businesses and bureaus expect. Our guide to the FTC identity theft report covers what to have ready and how to use it.
• A police report helps when a creditor asks for one, when you know who the thief is, or when someone used your name with law enforcement. See how to file a police report for identity theft.
• The ITRC helps you work out which of these you need, in what order, and what to do about the parts that don’t fit a standard form, such as medical or criminal identity theft.

The ITRC’s own Recover page lists immediate steps that match this: notify your bank or card issuer, check your credit reports and freeze your credit with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, file a police report with your FTC report in hand, and dispute errors in writing with the credit bureaus. It also notes that credit freezes and thaws are free by law. For the full sequence in the first days, follow our step-by-step plan for what to do if your identity is stolen.

The ITRC’s data breach tools

The ITRC says it maintains the largest US collection of data breach information. For consumers, that shows up in a few places on its site as of September 2026:

• Breach Alert. A section of the site for information on the latest publicly reported data compromises and guidance on what to do next.
• The Data Breach Newsletter. A free email that sends routine updates on newly reported compromises. There’s also a monthly newsletter, “In the Loop”, for general ITRC news.
• Data breach reports. The ITRC publishes annual and half-year breach reports; the most recent listed in September 2026 were its 2025 Annual Data Breach Report and its H1 2026 Data Breach Report.
• Latest Alerts and podcasts. Scam alerts and blog posts, plus the “Weekly Breach Breakdown” podcast on recent breaches.

For businesses, the ITRC sells breach data subscriptions and contact center services. Those are separate from the free consumer help.

We could not open the Breach Alert pages themselves when we checked in September 2026, so we haven’t described how its breach search works. Look at the section directly to see what’s currently offered.

What to do with a breach notice

A breach notice doesn’t mean your identity has been stolen. It means some of your data was exposed. What to do depends on what was taken:

• Passwords or email logins: change the password on that account and anywhere you reused it, and turn on two-step verification.
• Social Security number or date of birth: freeze your credit at all three bureaus, which the ITRC calls the most important step you can take to prevent identity theft.
• Card numbers: ask your bank or card issuer about replacing the card and watch statements closely.

If you’re unsure which applies, that’s a good question to bring to an ITRC advisor, along with the notice itself.

A worked example

This is an illustrative scenario, not a real client. Theresa, a teacher, gets a letter from a debt collector about a phone contract she never opened. A week earlier she’d received a breach notice from a retailer she shops with.

1. She pulls her credit reports and finds the phone account plus a store card she doesn’t recognize.
2. She calls the ITRC on a weekday morning with the collection letter, the breach notice and her credit report in front of her.
3. The advisor asks what’s been opened, when and where, then walks her through a plan: freeze her credit at all three bureaus, file an FTC report, dispute both accounts with the companies and the bureaus, and send the collector a written dispute.
4. The plan arrives by email that afternoon, so Theresa can work through it over the next few weeks and tick items off.

Theresa still does the work herself, and the ITRC doesn’t cover any money she’s lost. What she gets is a clear order of steps and someone to call back when a company pushes back.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating the ITRC call as your official report. It isn’t. File with the FTC and, where needed, the police, and keep copies.
• Calling a number from an ad or a message. Go to idtheftcenter.org directly and use the number listed there.
• Paying anyone who claims to be the ITRC. The ITRC says it never charges consumers, so a fee request is a red flag.
• Sharing your full Social Security number with an advisor, or anyone who contacts you unprompted.
• Waiting for the ITRC to act for you. The advisor gives you a plan; the calls, letters and disputes are yours to send.
• Buying paid protection in a panic. Freezes and fraud alerts are free. If you want paid monitoring or reimbursement coverage later, compare options calmly with our guide to the best identity theft protection.

When identity theft touches your name online

Most identity theft stays in credit files and account records. Sometimes it spills into public view: a fake social media profile, reviews or posts written in your name, or a criminal record attached to you by mistake that shows up in search results.

The ITRC can help with the identity crime itself. Cleaning up what people see when they search for you is a separate job. You can often start by reporting impersonation profiles to the platform and asking sites to correct inaccurate content. If the results are persistent or damaging, our personal reputation management service covers that side.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Identity Theft Resource Center legitimate?

Yes. The ITRC is a US nonprofit founded in 1999. Its website says it is a 501(c)(3) charity that files an annual Form 990 with the IRS, and it credits grants from the US Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime. Make sure you’re on idtheftcenter.org, since scammers can copy the name.

Does the Identity Theft Resource Center charge for help?

No. As of September 2026, the ITRC says it never charges consumers, and that any message offering an ITRC service for a fee is a scam. It sells some services to businesses, but help for individual victims is free.

What are the ITRC's hours?

As of September 2026, advisors are available Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time, which is 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. After hours you can get basic information or leave a message, and the ITRC says an advisor follows up the next business day.

Will the ITRC reimburse money I lost to identity theft?

No. The ITRC’s FAQ says it does not provide financial assistance for bills, lost wages or losses. Ask your bank or card issuer about disputing unauthorized charges, and talk to a lawyer if you’re considering legal action to recover larger losses.

Do I still need to file an FTC report if I talk to the ITRC?

Usually, yes. The FTC report at IdentityTheft.gov is the official record creditors and credit bureaus expect. An ITRC advisor can help you decide what to file and in what order, but the call itself isn’t a report.