One of the side effects of someone using your identity to open up a bunch of accounts and leaving you saddled with the bills is that your credit history gets trashed, which means you get victimized a second time over as your real creditors jack up your interest rates and take other adverse action. Your bank account could even get frozen, making you late on some bills. But before you go plead your case to get your credit restored with them, you’ll want to fix some of the fraudulent accounts first.

Bankrate says to do this because you’ll need to present your creditors with evidence that you were indeed a victim of identity theft. After you’ve had some luck with getting the fraudulent accounts closed down and taken off your record, you can show that to the creditors to get them to start working with you. In the case of debt you were forced to fall behind on, “You want to ask for accommodations to pay back the debt you have in light of the evidence you now possess. This will take some time, but some of the creditors will be willing to work with you,” writes Bankrate. “While the negative late payment marks probably will not come off of your credit report, you might be able to reduce the interest rates on the cards.”

It might said obvious but having your identity stolen can get your head in a tizzy. But if you attack the problem methodically and step by step, you can get your credit back to getting on track.

For more tips on getting through identity theft, check out “Mike Fights The Identity Thieves.”

Woman’s health stolen by vicious ID theft [Bankrate]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.