Many consumers discover they're the victims of identity theft when fraudulent charges show up on a credit card statement.

That's why you need a step-by-step plan to stop crooks from running up big bills, to get fraudulent charges off your account and to protect your good name and credit rating.

Step 1. Check to see if your card is missing. The credit card company will want to know if the card itself was stolen or if someone just skimmed the numbers.

Step 2. Call your credit card company. Tell the service representative which charges you're contesting.

Step 3. Close the account. Once a credit card number is stolen, it's permanently compromised. Thieves sell stolen numbers so often and so widely that you can't even consider keeping the account open.

Step 4. If you still have your card, destroy it. Cut it up into several pieces or put it through a card shredder.

Step. 5. Get a new account number and card. Have the legitimate balance on your old card moved to the new account.

Step 6. Check all of your other credit card accounts for false charges. Don't wait for your next statements. Check your bills online.

Step 7. Activate a free fraud alert at the three major credit bureaus. Experian, Equifax and TransUnion provide your credit history and score to potential lenders. If any of your credit cards have been used fraudulently, you can ask them to put a 90-day fraud alert on your account.

A fraud alert requires lenders to take extra steps to prove that you have authorized a request to access your credit report. That makes it much more difficult for someone to open a new credit card in your name or raise the limit on an existing account.

Just call one of the credit reporting agencies (Equifax, 1-888-766-0008; Experian, 1-888-397-3742; TransUnion, 1-800-680-7289). The agency you call will contact the other two and your alert will be valid with all three agencies.

Step 8. Check your credit report for fraudulent activity. You can obtain one free credit report from each agency every 12 months at AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for inquiries or new accounts you didn't initiate.

Step 9. Impose a security freeze on your credit reports at the first sign of additional trouble. That makes it virtually impossible for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name by stopping potential lenders from obtaining your credit history.

There's a fee, but it's usually waived for identity theft victims. You'll also need to contact each of the credit bureaus individually to activate a security freeze.

Click here for more tips on how to protect yourself from identity theft.