Credit Freeze Guide

Lock your file at all three bureaus

A credit freeze blocks new accounts from being opened in your name. It is free by federal law, does not affect your score, and you can lift it any time. Freeze at all three bureaus; each one is separate. Progress here saves in your browser only.

The steps

Gather your documentsHave your Social Security number, date of birth, and current address ready. Online and phone requests use these to verify you. Mail requests also need a copy of a photo ID and proof of address, like a utility bill.Freeze at each bureau, one at a timeA freeze at one bureau does not cover the others. Contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately, online, by phone, or by mail. Federal law makes placing and lifting a freeze free at all three.Save your PINs and loginsSome bureaus give you a PIN, others use an online account. You need these to lift the freeze later, maybe years from now. Store them somewhere safe that you will still find, like a password manager.Thaw before you applyA freeze blocks lenders from pulling your report for new credit, so a frozen file can get an application denied. Before you apply for a card, loan, apartment, or phone plan, ask which bureau the company uses and lift the freeze there, or at all three. You can thaw for a set window and it refreezes on its own.Consider freezes for your childrenA parent or guardian can ask each bureau to create a credit file for a child under 16 and freeze it. Kids rarely need credit, and a frozen file can block most new-account fraud in their name.Know what a freeze does not doA freeze does not change your score, close accounts, or block your own access to your reports. It does not stop misuse of accounts you already have, so keep reading your statements and reports.

Freeze at each bureau

Equifax

Frozen

www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/

888-298-0045

Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348-5788

Experian

Frozen

www.experian.com/freeze

888-397-3742

Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion

Frozen

www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

800-916-8800

TransUnion, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Freeze or fraud alert?

Initial fraud alert (1 year)

Free, and you only have to place it once. Tell one bureau and that bureau must notify the other two. For one year, a business pulling your report has to take reasonable steps to confirm you are really you before opening new credit. Unlike a freeze, it does not block access to your report. It adds a verification step instead of a wall. You can renew it when it expires.

Extended fraud alert (7 years)

For identity theft victims. You need an identity theft report from the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov. For seven years, a lender must contact you by the method you list before opening new credit in your name, and the bureaus remove you from prescreened offer lists for five years. A freeze blocks report access outright. An extended alert leaves access open but forces contact with you first, which some people prefer if they still apply for credit often.

Active-duty alert (1 year)

For servicemembers on deployment. It works like an initial alert. Businesses must take extra steps to verify identity before opening credit, and one bureau notifies the other two. It also removes you from prescreened credit and insurance offers for two years. It is lighter than a freeze. If you want new credit blocked entirely while deployed, a freeze does more, and you can use both.