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Freezing Your Credit
Credit freezes are powerful, free tools to stop ID thieves from wrecking your credit.
Credit freezes give you control over who sees your credit reports and when they can see them. If a lender can't run a credit check on an application, it won't issue new credit – so ID thieves trying to run up debts in your name will be thwarted.
Best of all, credit freezes are free.
Credit Freezing FAQ
For a credit freeze to be effective, you’ll need to freeze your credit reports at each of the three of the major credit bureaus:
Use a secure computer or device to fill out a request at each credit bureau. Some bureaus refer to a credit freeze as a security freeze. Have your Social Security number handy when you contact the bureaus – that’s how bureaus identify your report.
Keep your account information someplace safe. You’ll need that info to thaw your reports the next time you apply for credit.
When you want to apply for credit, ask the financial company which bureau or bureaus they will use to run a credit check and how long they anticipate the credit check will take. Then simply contact the bureaus to briefly thaw your credit reports for the allotted time.
Credit freezes and thaws are free and easy to use. You don't have to pay a company to manage them. You should never reveal your passwords or PINs to anyone.
Banks check an applicant's credit reports before they issue credit. A freeze keeps lenders from accessing your credit reports until you "thaw" them.
Not at all. Freezes are set it and forget it. You’ll still be able to use your credit accounts whenever you want without experiencing delays.
Even if you have a freeze, your existing creditors will be able to access your credit reports and post your payment information to the bureaus. That means you’ll continue to build credit as you make regular, on-time monthly payments and pay down debts.
No. The law allows debt collectors to access your credit report if you owe money. Debt collectors also are permitted to place accurate collection items on your credit reports.
No. Freezes are only effective weapons against new account fraud, the kind where ID thieves try to take out credit cards or loans using your name and personal information. But freezes can provide you with peace of mind when you are notified your information was exposed in a data breach. You'll know you're protected from having an ID thief run up debts in your name.
Yes! Up to a quarter of all credit reports have errors. You’ll want to check your credit reports every year to make sure that your address is current, your payments are properly noted and no inaccurate collections information has been posted to your report.
You have a right to get a free credit from each credit bureau once a year. Make sure you go through the bureaus’ shared official site, annualcreditreport.com, to order your free report directly from the bureaus.
Freezes are an alternative to paid credit monitoring services. If your monitoring service primarily checks hits or inquiries on your credit reports, you will not need monitoring once you freeze your reports. The point of a freeze is it lets you control who can see your credit report.
No. Credit freezes stop lenders from checking your credit until you say it's okay. Fraud alerts have less protection. They warn lenders to be careful issuing credit but still allow a lender with an application to view your report. Fraud alerts expire after a year. Credit freezes are permanent.
No. Even if you’re married and have joint accounts, each of you has an individual credit report. (Lenders report joint loans to both sets of credit reports.) If you both want credit freezes, you’ll each need to freeze your credit reports at all three bureaus. On the upside, if your partner doesn’t want a freeze, it won’t stop you from getting one.
Find out more about credit freezes from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. And, the Federal Trade Commission has information about credit freezes and free credit tools for active duty service members.