To freeze your credit reports, contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately and ask each one to place a security freeze on your file. Federal law makes the freeze free at all three bureaus and requires them to act within one business day of an online or phone request.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts Once the freeze is in place, no new creditor can pull your report to open an account in your name until you lift it.
How to Place the Freeze at Each Bureau
No single request covers all three bureaus. You have to contact each one directly. Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion each run an online portal where the freeze takes a few minutes to set up, and each also accepts phone requests and mailed written requests.2Equifax. Security Freeze – Freeze or Unfreeze Your Credit
The deadlines the bureaus have to meet depend on how you contact them. For electronic or phone requests, the freeze must be in place within one business day. Mailed requests get up to three business days.3Federal Trade Commission. Fair Credit Reporting Act
Have your identifying information ready. Each bureau will ask for your name, Social Security number, date of birth, and current address. Federal regulations allow the bureau to request government-issued identification and supporting documents such as a utility bill.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 12 CFR 1022.123 – Appropriate Proof of Identity Online portals often verify you instead through knowledge-based questions pulled from your credit history, like naming a past address or a previous lender.
The freeze is free to place, free to lift, and free to remove, at every bureau, every time.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
What the Freeze Blocks and What It Doesn’t
A freeze stops new creditors from pulling your report. That means no new credit card, no new loan, no new account that depends on a credit check, unless you first lift the freeze. For identity theft involving new accounts, that is the strongest defense the law provides.
Plenty of access continues, though. Businesses where you already hold accounts can still review your report for account management. Government agencies such as child support enforcement retain their access. Credit monitoring services you’ve authorized keep working.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report
Federal law also does not require the freeze to block requests made for employment screening, tenant screening, or insurance underwriting.5Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report If you’re applying for a job or an apartment, the freeze may not prevent that background check from going through.
Lifting the Freeze When You Need Credit
A freeze has no expiration. It stays on until you ask for it to come off. When you actually want a new lender to see your report, you lift the freeze temporarily through the same bureau portal where you placed it. The bureau must process an electronic or phone lift within one hour. A mailed lift can take up to three business days.3Federal Trade Commission. Fair Credit Reporting Act
Most bureaus now handle lifts through your online account rather than a separate PIN, though the process varies slightly across Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If you know which bureau a specific lender will pull from, you only need to lift the freeze at that one. Mortgage lenders often pull all three, so plan ahead and lift all three if you’re house-shopping.
Freezing Specialty Consumer Reports
The three nationwide bureaus aren’t the only agencies compiling data about you. Specialty consumer reporting agencies collect narrower categories, including your checking account history, insurance claims, rental payments, and employment background.6Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Are Specialty Consumer Reporting Agencies and What Types of Information Do They Collect The same FCRA freeze rights extend to them.
ChexSystems
ChexSystems tracks banking activity, including bounced checks and closed accounts. Many banks check a ChexSystems file before opening a new deposit account, so a freeze here blocks unauthorized account openings the credit-bureau freeze wouldn’t catch. You can place the freeze through the ChexSystems consumer portal online, by phone, or by mail.7ChexSystems. Place a Security Freeze
LexisNexis
LexisNexis maintains a Consumer Disclosure report regulated under the FCRA, and you can freeze it online, by phone at 1-800-456-1244, or by mail. There is no charge to place, lift, or remove that freeze.8LexisNexis Risk Solutions. Security Freeze – LexisNexis Risk Solutions Consumer Disclosure
LexisNexis also runs a separate public records database used for background checks and fraud detection that isn’t FCRA-regulated. You can request suppression through a separate opt-out form, but the suppression is limited. Your data will still appear in products available to law enforcement, in FCRA-regulated products, and in restricted products used by credentialed government and commercial entities for fraud prevention.9LexisNexis. LexisNexis Opt-Out Form
Freezing a Child’s Credit File
Children are common identity theft targets because no one checks a young child’s credit report. Federal law lets a parent or legal guardian place a security freeze on a minor’s file, and if no file exists yet, the bureau must create a record for the sole purpose of applying the freeze.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
You’ll need to prove both your identity and your authority to act for the child. Acceptable documentation includes a copy of the child’s Social Security card and birth certificate; proof of your relationship such as the child’s birth certificate, a court order, a power of attorney, or foster care certification; and your own government-issued ID, Social Security card, or birth certificate. Requests typically have to go in by mail, and each bureau has its own minor-freeze form.10Equifax. Freezing Your Child’s Credit Report FAQ The same protections apply to an incapacitated adult with a court-appointed guardian or conservator.
Fraud Alert If a Full Freeze Feels Like Too Much
A fraud alert is the lighter alternative. Instead of blocking access, it flags your file so a business pulling your report has to take extra steps to verify your identity before opening a new account. You only need to contact one bureau, and that bureau must notify the other two.
An initial fraud alert lasts one year and is available to anyone worried about identity theft, with no documentation required beyond identity verification. An extended fraud alert lasts seven years and is available to confirmed identity theft victims who submit an identity theft report. Both are free.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
The practical gap between the two tools matters. A fraud alert still lets creditors access your report; it just adds a verification step a determined or careless creditor can push past. A freeze is a hard stop.11TransUnion. Fraud Alerts
If a Bureau Ignores Your Freeze Request
The FCRA gives you two paths to damages when a bureau or data furnisher violates your rights, and the path depends on whether the violation was willful or merely negligent.
For willful violations, you can recover either actual losses or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 per violation, whichever is greater. A court can add punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and costs.12Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681n – Civil Liability for Willful Noncompliance For negligent violations, recovery is narrower: actual damages plus attorney’s fees and costs, without the statutory minimum or punitive damages.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 1681o – Civil Liability for Negligent Noncompliance Because the FCRA shifts fees to the defendant when a consumer prevails, you don’t necessarily have to fund the litigation up front.