A credit freeze is the single most effective thing you can do to stop someone from opening credit in your name. It is free by federal law, it does not affect your score, and it takes about 15 minutes to set up at all 3 bureaus. Most people still have not done it, usually because they are not sure what it involves. This guide covers that.
Freeze, lock, or fraud alert
The 3 tools sound similar and do different things.
A credit freeze blocks new creditors from pulling your credit report. If a lender cannot see your report, it will not open the account, so a thief with your Social Security number gets nowhere. You lift the freeze, temporarily or permanently, whenever you apply for credit yourself. It is defined by federal law, and the bureaus must place and lift it for free.
A credit lock is the bureaus' app-based version of the same idea. You toggle it on and off in the bureau's app. Day to day it behaves like a freeze, but it is a product offered under the bureau's own terms rather than a right defined by law. Some locks are free and some come bundled with paid services. If you have to choose, choose the freeze.
A fraud alert does not block anything. It puts a note on your file asking lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening credit. It lasts 1 year, or 7 years for confirmed identity theft victims, and you only need to place it at 1 bureau, which shares it with the other 2. It is the lighter option for someone who applies for credit often.
A freeze protects you only at the bureau where you placed it. Lenders can pull from any of the 3, so a complete freeze means 3 freezes.
Before you start
Have these ready: your Social Security number, date of birth, current address, and, if you have moved in the last 2 years, your previous address. Each bureau will verify your identity with questions drawn from your credit history, so it helps to know roughly which accounts you have had.
Each bureau gives you a way to manage the freeze later, either an online account, a PIN, or both. Store that in your password manager. Losing it makes lifting the freeze slower.
Equifax
Go to equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/ and create a myEquifax account. Once you are verified, the freeze is a single switch in the account, and you lift it from the same place.
By phone, call (888) 298-0045. By mail, Equifax asks you to contact its customer care team for the form. Placing, lifting, and removing the freeze is free.
Experian
Go to experian.com/freeze/center.html and create a free account. The freeze takes effect immediately, and the account lets you schedule a temporary lift with a start and end date, which is handy when you know a lender will pull your report next week.
By phone, call 1-888-397-3742. By mail, send a written request with copies of your identification to Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013. Mailed requests take up to 3 business days to process.
TransUnion
Go to transunion.com/credit-freeze and create a free TransUnion Service Center account. The freeze is managed from the account, and you can remove it entirely or lift it for a specific timeframe. TransUnion says adding or removing a freeze online or by phone typically takes effect almost immediately.
By phone, call 888-909-8872. By mail, write to TransUnion, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094.
When to lift the freeze
Any time someone needs to pull your credit report: a mortgage or car loan, a new credit card, an apartment application, a new phone contract, some utility accounts, and some employment checks.
Ask the lender which bureau it uses so you can lift only that one. If they do not know, lift all 3 for a few days. Online lifts take effect within minutes at all 3 bureaus, so there is no need to leave the freeze off between applications.
A temporary lift with a set end date is safer than a permanent one, because it refreezes itself if you forget.
What a freeze does not cover
A freeze stops new accounts that require a credit check. It does not stop:
- Fraud on accounts you already have, such as a stolen card number or an account takeover
- Tax refund fraud filed with your Social Security number
- Medical identity theft, where someone uses your insurance
- Accounts that do not run a credit check, including some utilities and phone plans
- Someone using your identity in a court record, a title filing, or a change of address
That is why monitoring still matters after the freeze is in place. A freeze closes the front door. Monitoring watches the windows.
Why monitoring still matters
Credit monitoring tells you when something changes on your report, including the inquiries that a freeze is supposed to prevent, which is how you find out if a freeze was lifted without your knowledge. Dark web monitoring tells you when your Social Security number or passwords surface in breached data, which is usually the first sign that someone is about to try. Alerts on court records, address changes, and new utility accounts catch the frauds that never touch your credit report at all.
Freeze first. It is free and it works. Then keep watch.
How Task Force helps
Every Task Force plan includes your credit score and full report from a major bureau, plus debt analysis, score factors, and a simulator that shows how a change could play out. Complete refreshes your report monthly from Equifax and alerts you to changes at Equifax and Experian, and adds monitoring of court records, titles, address changes, and utility accounts. Task Force monitors and explains your credit. It does not dispute items or promise score changes. Read more about Credit Monitoring, or run the free scan first.