What is the first organization you should contact if your credit card number has been stolen?

When your credit card number has been stolen, the first organization to contact is your credit card company. This is crucial because the credit card issuer is responsible for the account and can take immediate action to secure it. They can freeze your account, investigate any unauthorized transactions, and prevent further fraudulent use. Additionally, they may issue you a new credit card with a different number, limiting your financial liability for the stolen card.

Contacting the credit card company first helps to minimize potential losses and enables you to follow their instructions for protecting your identity and account. The other options, while they may also play important roles in the overall process of dealing with identity theft, are not the immediate priority. The police may be involved later for filing a report, a credit bureau can help monitor your credit score for fraudulent activity, and your banking institution may be contacted eventually, but the card issuer is the first line of defense in preventing further unauthorized transactions.