If someone created a Relay account in your name, contact Relay's Customer Experience team right away and file an identity theft report with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
What should I do first if someone created a Relay account in my name?
Contact Relay's Customer Experience team right away so the account can be locked, reviewed, and closed while an identity theft investigation is opened. Do this before you contact the credit bureaus or federal agencies, because Relay needs to secure the account first.
How do I contact Relay if my identity has been used to open an account?
Email support@relayfi.com or use the Contact Us form on relayfi.com. In your message, explain that you did not create the account, that you are reporting identity theft, and include any details you already have (for example, an unexpected welcome email, a card mailer addressed to you, or a letter from Relay).
If you are unsure whether a message from Relay is genuine, review How to identify and report phishing attempts before responding.
What information does Relay's Customer Experience team need?
Relay's Customer Experience team will ask for the following so they can confirm your identity and investigate the fraudulent account:
Your full legal name
Your date of birth
Your current mailing address
A government-issued photo ID
Any emails, letters, or notifications from Relay that you did not expect
The date you first learned an account had been opened in your name
Send documents only through the secure channel Relay's Customer Experience team gives you. Never email a photo of your ID to an address that arrived unsolicited.
How do I report identity theft to U.S. federal authorities?
Report the theft to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and use the tools it provides to build a formal recovery record. Work through the sequence below in order:
File a report at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC's official identity theft site. It will generate a personal recovery plan and an FTC Identity Theft Report.
Save or download the FTC Identity Theft Report. You can share it with Relay, other financial institutions, and the credit bureaus as proof that the account is fraudulent.
Read the FTC's identity theft resource page on USA.gov for guidance on next steps, including how to dispute charges and correct records.
How do I stop further accounts from being opened in my name?
Place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three major U.S. credit bureaus so no new accounts can be opened without additional verification. Contact each one directly:
Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services or 1-800-685-1111
Experian: experian.com/help or 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-help or 1-888-909-8872
A fraud alert is free, lasts one year, and asks lenders to verify your identity before opening credit. A credit freeze is also free, lasts until you lift it, and blocks new credit accounts entirely.
What else should I do to protect myself?
Change passwords on any account that shares an email address or phone number with the fraudulent Relay account, and turn on two-factor authentication wherever it is available. Review your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com for any accounts or inquiries you do not recognize, and report each one.
If you believe your Relay account (an account you did open) may also have been compromised, review Keeping your Relay account secure for account-level safeguards.
Still need help?
If you have already contacted Relay's Customer Experience team and the fraudulent account has not been resolved, reply to your existing support thread with your case number so it can be escalated. Do not open a new ticket, because that resets the queue.
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