How To Check If Someone Opened an Account in Your Name (2024)

Can Someone Open a Credit Card or Bank Account in Your Name?

Yes. Scammers can use your stolen information to open credit cards, bank accounts, or even take out loans in your name — leaving you to pick up the pieces and dispute the debts.

In 2023 alone, scammers opened over 381,000 fraudulent credit card accounts [*].

But fraudsters are not the only risk to your online security. Over the past few years, major banks, including Wells Fargo [*], U.S. Bank [*], and Bank of America [*], have all been fined millions or even billions of dollars for opening new bank and credit card accounts without customers’ permission.

Closing fraudulent or unrequested accounts is one of the best ways to protect your credit, finances, and even identity — but first you have to find them.

Warning Signs That Someone Opened an Account in Your Name

Scammers open bank accounts in your name to access new lines of credit, engage in check fraud, or even launder money. But while these may seem like high-profile crimes, they’re surprisingly easy to keep under the radar.

New bank accounts aren’t always reported to the major credit bureaus, and fraudsters have become masters at dodging security mechanisms that could trigger fraud alerts.

The earliest signs of new account fraud are much more subtle, including:

• Mail or calls from unfamiliar banks. If you’re contacted by a bank or financial institution that you don’t recognize, it’s either a phishing scam or your identity has been stolen and used to open an account in your name.
• Warranty emails. Scammers buy anything and everything by using fraudulent credit or debit cards — including items that come with damage plans or extended warranties. Receiving insurance information for something you didn’t purchase could mean your financial information is compromised.
• Your credit score drops suddenly, or you’re denied credit. Swindlers open as many credit accounts as possible to rack up charges before you or your bank catch on. Your credit score takes a hit with each hard inquiry and unpaid bill.
• Calls and letters from debt collectors. If you’re contacted by a collector and don’t know anything about an account accruing debt, there’s a good chance it was opened by a scammer.
• You’re the victim of a data breach. Identity thieves can pair leaked data with information they gather about you on social media or the Dark Web, which can wreak havoc on your life. By assuming your identity, they can drain financial accounts, destroy your reputation, and even steal the deed to your home.

How To Check If Someone Opened a Bank or Credit Account in Your Name

If you notice one or more warning signs, there’s a good chance someone is using your identity.

Here’s how you can check if someone opened an account in your name:

Review your credit reports from all three bureaus

Checking your credit reports regularly can help you spot suspicious activity or signs of identity fraud — such as hard inquiries for new lines of credit, neglected bills from accounts you didn’t open, and large debts.

However, it’s important that you check your reports from each bureau — Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Some lenders report your information to all three, but others may only share it with one or two. Free, weekly online credit reports are available at AnnualCreditReport.com.

What to look for on your credit report:

• Satisfactory accounts. Just because you’re up to date with your credit card payments doesn’t mean those accounts are immune from fraud. Verify that all records are tied to your name, address, and current phone number, and reflect the balances and credit limits that you expect.
• Adverse accounts. Here’s where you’ll find records of late bill payments, charge-offs, or other delinquencies. If these don’t match your records, you’ll need to file a dispute with each bureau that reports a mistake.
• Collections section. Swindlers can accumulate debt without you knowing. Double-check that any accounts in this section are ones you recognize or have already paid off (debt can take years to settle).

📚 Related: How To Get Three-Bureau Credit Monitoring →

Review your ChexSystems report for new checking accounts

ChexSystems is a consumer reporting agency that tracks U.S. checking accounts. Normally, your checking accounts have no influence on your credit score. However, newly opened checking accounts you don’t recognize could be red flags indicating identity fraud.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), you can get a free copy of your consumer disclosure report every year, which includes any checking accounts you’ve applied for, opened, or closed — as well as your check writing history.

To request a copy of your report online:

1. Go to ChexSystems.com.
2. Scroll down to the Consumer Disclosure Report box on the right.
3. Click on Request Report.
4. Fill in the application, including your first and last name, date of birth, Social Security Number (SSN), and contact information.

If you find something suspicious, you can use ChexSystems’ online dispute center to upload documentation and proof of the fraud. Investigations typically are completed within 30 days.

Note: You must be 18 or older to use ChexSystems, but you can submit a request on behalf of a minor by filling out a Consumer Request for Disclosure Form and returning it to ChexSystems by mail.

Request reports from check and ACH verification agencies

Credit unions, banks, and merchants use screening services to decide whether to take you on as a customer. Certegy, for example, tracks your check writing history and offers ACH verification services for companies that accept checks for payment.

Victims of identity theft or check fraud may have inaccurate information on their reports, which can prevent them from opening new bank accounts, cashing checks, and paying for products and services via check or direct transfer. Certegy allows consumers to request a free report every year.

You have four options for reviewing your Certegy report:

Note: To initiate a fraud dispute with Certergy, you need to contact its fraud department and include: a copy of your driver’s license, any police report associated with the identity theft, and a notarized Certegy Affidavit.

Verify income on your IRS and SSA statements

Identity thieves may use your stolen information to file fake taxes, steal your tax return, or even falsify your income in order to take out larger loans in your name. These signs of fraud will show up on your IRS and SSA statements.

To review your statements, first create an ID.me account and then use it to log in to the relevant accounts.

With an ID.me account, you’ll be able to:

• Check your adjusted gross income from your last tax return.
• Authorize lenders to access your tax records when you apply for a mortgage or other loan.
• View tax return and wage transcript access.
• See digital copies of IRS notices.

📚 Related: How Tax Identity Theft Happens (and How To Prevent It) →

Monitor your bank accounts for strange transactions

Finally, if you haven’t already, make a habit of reviewing your bank and other personal financial accounts regularly for suspicious transactions or withdrawals.

A credit monitoring service can make this process easier, less stressful, and more efficient. Platforms like Identity Guard monitor for potential errors and fraud across all of your credit accounts, and automatically notify you of any unusual dips in your credit score.

Did You Find a Fraudulent Account in Your Name? Here’s What To Do

• Contact your bank, credit union, or credit card issuer. As soon as you discover fraudulent activity, contact your bank and ask them to freeze your accounts and cancel any new credit cards or debit cards opened in your name. The sooner you report the fraud, the better chance you’ll have of recovering any lost funds and minimizing the damage.
• Freeze or lock your credit. Credit locks and freezes prevent lenders from accessing your credit report and opening new loans in your name. You may have access to instant credit locks through identity protection providers like Identity Guard which lets you activate online safety tools directly from a mobile app. If you don’t have one of these services, initiate a credit freeze by contacting each of the three major bureaus individually (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). Freezes last until you “thaw” them — so if you apply for a mortgage or auto loan, you’ll need to ask each bureau to temporarily lift your freeze.
• Report fraud to law enforcement. Sharing your experience with authorities can help them catch identity thieves. First, file an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov. Then, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov to report a credit, debt, or loan fraud incident to the FTC. Finally, file a police report at your local station. Having all three reports handy will make it easier to dispute fraud with banks and lenders.
• File disputes with the credit bureaus. You’ll need to file a dispute with each credit reporting agency that shows fraud on your credit report. Download and fill out the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) dispute template. Send it — along with a marked-up copy of your credit report highlighting the offending accounts, balances, and incorrect information, as well as your Identity Theft Affidavit — to each bureau reporting the mistakes. Under federal law, bureaus are required to act on your letter within 30 days.

📚 Related: Can Someone Steal Your Identity With Just Your Name and Date of Birth? →

How To Keep Your Bank Accounts and Identity Safe

Fraudulent and unrequested accounts can put your credit score, identity, and even your savings at risk. To keep your account information safe, follow these steps:

• Activate banking security features. Activate any additional security measures that your bank provides, such as longer PIN codes or threshold alerts, which alert you to low balances or unusually high transactions.
• Update your passwords. Never reuse your password or share it with anyone else. Use a password manager to generate and store long, complex passwords that are tough for hackers to crack. For extra protection, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), which requires a special code, fingerprint, or face ID when logging in to online accounts.
• Go paperless. Scammers rifle through mailboxes for unopened credit card offers, bank statements, and loan updates in order to swipe account numbers and personally identifiable information (PII). If you can’t opt-in to paperless notifications, always remember to retrieve, review, and shred letters as quickly as possible.
• Pull your credit reports regularly. Americans are entitled to view free credit reports once a week by visiting AnnualCreditReport.com. Review them carefully for changes to your credit score, records of new accounts, and anything else you don’t recognize.
• Sign up for credit and transaction monitoring. Make things easier for yourself by signing up for three-bureau credit monitoring with bank account transaction alerts and identity theft protection.

Performing these precautionary measures is difficult and time-consuming for one person or family to handle on their own.

Identity Guard’s award-winning credit monitoring and identity theft protection services alert you to fraudulent activity as soon as it happens. You’ll also get digital security and Safe Browsing tools to shield you against phishing scams, along with access to 24/7 U.S.-based customer support and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.

Secure your bank accounts from scammers. Try Identity Guard risk free today.