Phone call scripts

Before you call

• Sit where you can look at your account, with pen and paper ready.
• Have your ID handy in case they verify you.
• Plan for 30–45 minutes. Don't hang up until you have a case number.

Say this

• "Hello, I'm calling because my account was hacked and money was taken from it."
• "I need to freeze this account and report fraud right away."
• "Someone may still have access to my online banking and my card number."
• "I'd like to open a new, clean account with new account and routing numbers, and a new debit card."

Ask for

• A freeze on the old account, with a fraud flag on it
• A new account with new account and routing numbers
• A new debit card with a new card number
• The fraud claim or case number

Write down

• Today's date and the time of your call
• The name of the person you spoke to
• The case or reference number
• Exactly what they promised to do, and by when

Before you call

• Have your Social Security number and current address handy.
• Call any ONE bureau — by law they must tell the other two.
• Have a pen ready: you'll get confirmation numbers and PINs to write down.

Say this

• "I'm a victim of identity theft. I want to place a fraud alert on my credit file."
• "Please confirm you're notifying the other two bureaus."
• "I'd also like to freeze my credit at all three bureaus."

Ask for

• A fraud alert on your file — it's free and lasts at least a year
• The confirmation or PIN for the freeze at each bureau
• Where to send disputes if you find accounts you didn't open

Write down

• Which bureau you called
• Confirmation numbers for the alert and for each freeze
• Any PINs they give you — you need them to lift a freeze later

Before you call

• Write down your new account and routing numbers.
• Have a recent letter or statement from the agency nearby.
• Try calling early in the morning — waits are shorter.

Say this

• "I need to change the bank account my benefit is deposited into."
• "Before that, please check the phone number on my record — I can't receive verification codes because it's an old landline."
• "Here are my new account and routing numbers."

Ask for

• The phone number on your record updated to your current phone
• The direct deposit changed to your new account
• The date the next payment lands in the new account

Write down

• A confirmation number for the change
• The date the change takes effect
• The name of the person you spoke to