Identity theft can take anywhere from a few hours to a lifetime to repair.

It can be a time-consuming, expensive and emotionally draining ordeal for a victim who already is reeling from the personal violation.

"The emotions they go through is pretty similar to what victims of other crimes experience," said Heather Wells, recovery services manager for ID Experts in Beaverton, Ore. "First there is shock and disbelief. Sometimes shame is involved.

"They lose trust in other people. Sometimes problems with their spouses come up because it's so stressful. Many cases involve family members or close friends who have done this. That's probably the worst thing."

The surest sign that a crook has stolen your personal information is when bills start coming for things you haven't bought or when lenders deny you credit for reasons you don't understand.

In worst case scenarios, victims of identity theft could end up flat broke or even languishing in jail for crimes they didn't commit.

"A victim of identity theft has a tremendous amount of work to do to stabilize [his] financial situation," said Joe Russo, author of "Selling Your House/Condo in this Housing Emergency of 2008."

Time is of the essence

The Federal Trade Commission estimated that more than 27 million people became victims of identity theft in the past five years, and that 41 percent of them were still dealing with the problem two years after it occurred. The recovery process could take about 500 hours and cost about $3,000, the FTC said.

If someone suspects their identity has been stolen, speed could be the determining factor in minimizing the potential damage, according to experts.

"The key is to stop it right away, within the first 30 days" said Tom Harkins, chief strategy officer for Secure Identity Systems, in Brentwood, Tenn. He said waiting too much longer might require 100 to 200 hours to resolve it because it will become more complex as more areas of the victim's life are affected.

"Like a runaway train, if it can be stopped in the first 50 yards it hasn't built momentum and can be easy to stop. But after a mile or two, to stop it is very difficult and will take a lot of action; and if something goes wrong you could have a catastrophe."

Restoring your good name

The road to ID theft restoration will often have twists and turns at every stage, but there are a few basic steps people should take to get their lives back on track, said Ms. Wells:

• Notify creditors that the account is fraudulent and that you are the victim of ID theft.

• File a police report.

• Place a 90-day fraud alert on credit bureau files.

• Obtain all three credit reports and review them for fraudulent accounts, inquiries and personal information.

• Complete an ID theft affidavit.

• Submit the police report and affidavit to creditors.

• Request that they investigate, clear the account, send a letter of resolution for the victim's records and notify the three credit bureaus to expunge the account and any inquiries/personal information from files linked to the fraudulent account.

• Follow up with creditors and credit bureaus until complete.

• Place an extended seven-year alert or freeze on all three credit bureau files to protect for future ID theft issues.

Dealing with creditors

"It becomes such a nightmare because you have to jump through hoops with each creditor," said Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com in Boston. "Every creditor's first concern is to get paid.

"[Creditors] don't necessarily believe the victim. They have so many deadbeats they deal with they are inclined to believe you are one of them. You have to go through hoops to prove you are an ID theft victim."

Mr. Siciliano said not every creditor was set up the same way and that some might not be set up to deal with ID theft issues. Each time victims call they might be transferred around the office and end up wasting lots of time with little results.

"Studies show one of four victims never fully restore a compromised identity," he said. "Systems aren't in place to effectively resolve the problem in many institutions."

Tracey King, a corporate relations consultant for Allstate Insurance Co. in Malvern, Chester County, said ID theft victims also should issue fraud alerts with the Social Security Administration, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Postal Service.

"All of those alerts can take consumers countless hours and a monetary investment," Ms. King said.

Allstate held a mass-shredding at Robinson Mall last month to promote ID theft awareness. The company invited the public to come feed their personal documents into a huge shredder.

Getting help

Ms. King said Allstate also offered ID restoration insurance coverage that can be added to their customers' auto or homeowner's policy for about $40 a year. It has no deductible and will reimburse up to $25,000 for covered expenses such as attorney fees, other costs and lost wages for time taken off work to deal with identity theft issues.

The policy also offers a professional service that will do the restoration work for them, she said.

According to the Pittsburgh Police Department, there were 85 identity theft complaints in the first quarter of this year, which puts the city on pace for a 50 percent increase over 2005.

Pittsburgh police records show there were 231 formal identity theft complaints in 2005; 300 complaints in 2006; and 311 complaints filed in 2007.

While some consumers are capable of cleaning up their identity theft problems without professional help, it's not always the best route for others.

"This is like saying all consumers should change their own oil in their automobiles; prepare their own taxes; sell their own home; school their own children; and even administer their own medical treatments/operation," said Joseph Campana, a certified identity theft risk management specialist in Madison, Wis.

"Although it is possible for consumers to restore their own identity, most don't have the time, don't have the practical or legal know-how and don't have the patience. Many of the people I have worked with are challenged just to make a phone call to the credit reporting agencies and to file a police report."

Financial identity theft grabs most of the headlines, but other forms of ID theft could be equally as devastating, such as medical ID theft, which can damage someone's credit ratings and confuse their medical records.

Social Security and driver's license ID theft can cause an innocent person to be audited and even jailed. And criminal ID theft can result in job loss, marital problems and potential arrest.

Identity Theft 911 is a resolution service based in Scottsdale, Ariz., that works through insurance companies such as Allstate to provide restoration for their customers.

"We tend to get things done faster," said Judd Rousseau, chief fraud officer. "Normally within two or three months we can clear up the situation.

"You have to be a very detailed and organized person to clear up identity theft. You have to work with government and business. If you don't clear it all up, it can come back to haunt you."

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Credit bureaus

• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

• Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Tim Grant can be reached at tgrant@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1591.