How to Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Report

To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any one of the three nationwide credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — by phone, online, or by mail. Federal law requires the bureau you contact to notify the other two, so a single free request covers all three files.¹ Once the alert is active, lenders must verify your identity before opening new credit in your name.

Choose Which Alert Fits Your Situation

Before you contact a bureau, decide which of the three federal alert categories applies to you. They differ in length and in what you have to submit.¹

An initial fraud alert lasts one year and is available to anyone who suspects they are or may become a victim of identity theft. You do not need proof; a good-faith suspicion is enough, and you can renew it when it expires.²
An extended fraud alert lasts seven years and is for confirmed identity theft victims. You must submit an identity theft report with your request.
An active duty alert lasts one year and is for military service members deployed away from their usual duty station.

All three are free. The extended alert requires more documentation but triggers stronger verification duties on lenders, which is covered further down.

Contact One Bureau

You only need to contact one nationwide bureau. That bureau is legally required to refer your alert to the other two.¹

By Phone or Online

Phone or the online portal is usually the fastest route.³

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 or equifax.com
Experian: experian.com/help/fraud-alert (or mail)
TransUnion: 1-888-909-8872 or transunion.com

Online portals walk you through identity verification and generally process the alert immediately. The automated phone lines use touch-tone prompts to confirm your information and submit the request.

By Mail

If you want a paper trail, download the request form from the bureau’s website and send it to:³

Equifax: P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374⁴
Experian: P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion: P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

Mail requests take longer because of delivery time, but they produce a physical record.

What to Have Ready

Whichever method you pick, the bureau needs enough information to find your credit file and confirm you are the one requesting the alert. For an initial or active duty alert, expect to provide:

Your full legal name
Social Security number
Date of birth
Current and previous addresses from the past two years
A phone number where lenders can reach you — this number becomes part of the alert

Mail requests typically require a copy of a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license or passport, plus proof of your current address like a utility bill or bank statement.⁴

For an extended alert, you also need an identity theft report.¹ The simplest way to create one is at IdentityTheft.gov, which generates a report proving to businesses that someone stole your identity and helps you build a recovery plan.⁵ A police report filed with local law enforcement also works.

What Happens After You Submit the Request

The bureau you contacted must refer your alert to the other two.¹ This typically happens quickly, though the alert can take up to 48 hours to appear on all three files. You should get written confirmation by mail or email, including the expiration date.

Placing an alert also entitles you to extra free credit report disclosures. With an initial alert, each bureau must let you request one free copy of your credit file. With an extended alert, you can request two free copies from each bureau during the 12 months after the alert is placed, and the bureau must send them within three business days of your request.¹ Review them promptly to catch unauthorized accounts or inquiries that predate the alert.

How the Alert Affects Lenders

A fraud alert is more than a note. It triggers legal duties for any business that pulls your credit.

With an initial or active duty alert, a lender cannot open a new account, issue an additional card on an existing account, or raise your credit limit without taking reasonable steps to confirm your identity. If you included a phone number with the alert, the lender must call it or use another reasonable method to verify you actually submitted the application.¹

With an extended alert, the standard is stricter. The lender must contact you in person or through the specific contact method you designated when you placed the alert, and confirm the application is legitimate before proceeding.¹

Fraud Alert or Credit Freeze

A fraud alert does not block access to your credit report. It keeps the file accessible to lenders and only requires them to verify your identity first. A credit freeze is the stronger tool: it blocks access entirely, so no one, including you, can open new credit until you lift the freeze.²

Neither option affects your credit score, and both are free under federal law. You can have a fraud alert and a freeze in place at the same time if you want layered protection.

Removing an Alert Early or Updating Your Phone Number

You can cancel an alert before its expiration date, but removal does not propagate the way placement does. You have to contact each bureau individually. Each one allows removal online, by phone, or by mail, and mailed requests generally require the same identity documents you provided when placing the alert.³

The same is true for updating your contact information. Because the phone number on your alert is the number lenders are required to call, keep it current — otherwise a legitimate application could be delayed or denied. Update it through the bureau’s website, the fraud department phone line, or a written request with identity documents, and repeat the update with each of the three bureaus separately.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
Consumer Advice – FTC. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
3
Experian. Fraud Alert
4
Equifax. Fraud and Active Duty Alerts
5
FTC. IdentityTheft.gov Helps You Report and Recover From Identity Theft