Primary source first. Action order second. Word count last.

1. Define one real response question

Each guide starts with a specific moment: an SSN was exposed, a credit file needs freezing, a tax return was rejected, or an unfamiliar account appears. We reject topics that drift into general cybersecurity.

2. Verify the process

Federal topics are checked against sources such as FTC, IdentityTheft.gov, CFPB, IRS, SSA, and the nationwide credit bureaus. State notice pages use the relevant state Attorney General or another primary state source.

3. Separate prevention from recovery

We explain what each tool does and what it does not do. A credit freeze is not presented as a way to stop existing-account fraud. Monitoring is not presented as prevention. An FTC Identity Theft Report is not called a police report.

4. Check whether the guide can actually be used

Before publication, we review the action order, verify that material procedural claims are supported by named sources, remove duplicated filler, and check that links, labels, and downloadable resources match what the page promises. Length is treated as an editorial consequence of covering the question well, not as a ranking target.

5. Update only when something material changes

If a law, form, threshold, phone number, or program rule can change, the guide links the official source and avoids pretending a snapshot will remain correct forever. We change the displayed update date when the page itself receives a meaningful factual or procedural update, not merely to make it look fresh.