If the crime involved the U.S. Mail, contact your nearest U.S. Postal Inspection Service office and report it.

Call the fraud units of the three major credit bureaus and request a "fraud alert" be placed on your credit file. Check your monthly financial statements for accuracy.

Order copies of your credit report from the credit bureaus to check whether any fraudulent accounts were opened without your knowledge or consent.

Contact your banks and creditors, by phone and in writing, and report the crime. You may be advised to close some or all of your accounts. At the least, change your PIN codes and passwords immediately.

Record the names and phone numbers of people with whom you discussed your case and retain all original reports and supporting documents. Keeping accurate and complete records are a big step toward helping you resolve your problem.

Contact your financial institutions and request they flag your accounts. Instruct them to contact you immediately if there is unusual activity on your accounts.