Was It Breached Secria

Social Security number leaked? What to do, in order

Check the alert first. Then block three ways a stolen number can be used: new credit, a tax return and a job.1,2,3,4

Select a step. Checked 1 November 2026 against the sources.

The six steps

Do them in this order. Skip any you've already done.

1. Check where the alert came from

  1. A breach letter: compare it with the filed sample.Many companies file a sample letter with California's attorney general. Our letter check shows how to compare yours.
  2. An email saying your number is "on the dark web": don't use its links.The FTC warns that some of these emails are phishing. If you think it's real, for example from a monitoring service you use, contact that company on a website or number you know is real.1
  3. Change your email password first.The FTC says email accounts are often the weak link, because they control password resets for your other accounts. Turn on multifactor authentication.1

2. Freeze your credit

  1. Contact each of the three bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.A freeze stops potential creditors seeing your report, so a thief can't easily open new credit in your name. It's free to place and to lift. Our credit freeze guide covers the deadlines and what a freeze doesn't stop.2,1
  2. Lift it when you apply for credit.It lasts until you remove it. It won't affect your credit score or stop you using your existing cards.2

3. Or place a fraud alert

  1. Contact any one of the three bureaus.That bureau must tell the other two. The alert lasts one year and can be renewed for free.2
  2. If someone has already used your identity, ask for the extended alert.It lasts seven years.2

4. Get an IRS identity protection PIN

  1. Request it in your IRS online account.The six-digit IP PIN stops someone else filing a tax return with your Social Security number. Anyone with an SSN or ITIN who can verify their identity can get one.3
  2. Can't make an online account? Use Form 15227 or an appointment.Form 15227 is for incomes below $84,000, or $168,000 filing jointly. Otherwise book an in-person visit at a Taxpayer Assistance Center.3
  3. Use the new PIN each year.An IP PIN is valid for one calendar year, and a new one is generated each year.3

5. Lock your number in E-Verify

  1. Make a myE-Verify account and turn on Self Lock.You answer three challenge questions. A locked number gives a mismatch if an employer runs it through E-Verify.4
  2. Unlock it before you start a job with an E-Verify employer.The lock stays on while your account is valid and you haven't unlocked it.4

6. Read your credit reports

  1. Get them free at AnnualCreditReport.com.If you see an account you don't recognize, report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.1
  2. Report suspicious "dark web" emails.Send them to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.1

Why so many letters list your number

From the breach notices Texas's attorney general published this year.

483 of 585

Breach notices Texas published from 1 January to 30 October 2026 that list Social Security numbers among the data affected.5

A freeze, not a new number

A freeze blocks new credit at the bureaus and lasts until you lift it. It won't affect your score or stop you using your existing cards.2

A dark web alert is a claim

Some of these emails list part of a Social Security number. Check the sender before you act on one.1

Breaches on this site that list Social Security numbers

Each page has the letter, the counts and the monitoring deadline.

Questions people ask

My monitoring service says my Social Security number is on the dark web. What should I do?

Log in to the service on its website or call a number you know is real, not a link in the alert.1 If it checks out, do steps 2 to 6 above.

Does freezing my credit hurt my score?

No. The FTC says a freeze won't affect your credit score, and it's free to place and lift.2

Can I lock my Social Security number?

Only for jobs, through E-Verify's Self Lock. For credit, the equivalent is a freeze at each bureau, and for taxes, an IRS IP PIN.4,2,3

Do I need a credit monitoring subscription?

The FTC calls a free credit freeze the best way to protect against an identity thief opening new accounts.1 If a breach letter offers free monitoring, it comes with an enrollment deadline: check yours.

Sources 7
  1. Did you get an email saying your personal info is for sale on the dark web? (26 September 2022), Federal Trade Commission consumer alert. Read 1 November 2026.
  2. Credit freeze or fraud alert: Which is right for you?, Federal Trade Commission. Read 1 November 2026.
  3. Get an identity protection PIN (IP PIN), Internal Revenue Service. Read 1 November 2026.
  4. Self Lock (last updated 15 September 2022), E-Verify, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Read 1 November 2026.
  5. Data Security Breach Reports, Office of the Texas Attorney General. All notices published 1 January to 30 October 2026, counted by the "Type(s) of Information Affected" column. Read 1 November 2026.
  6. Notice of Data Security Incident (24 June 2026), Aesto, LLC d/b/a Aesto Health. Read 1 November 2026.
  7. Security Update: Notice Regarding Cybersecurity Incident, Baylor Genetics. Read 1 November 2026.

Every step comes from a government source, and every source shows the day we read it. How we check