To stop credit inquiries, you need two separate tools working together. A security freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion blocks new creditors from pulling your report at all, which shuts down hard inquiries tied to loan and credit card applications in your name. A prescreen opt-out through OptOutPrescreen.com or 1-888-5-OPT-OUT stops the bureaus from selling your name to companies that generate pre-approved offers, which cuts the soft inquiries behind the junk mail. Both are free, both are protected by federal law, and each covers ground the other doesn’t.
Place a Freeze at All Three Bureaus
A security freeze prohibits a credit bureau from releasing your report to new creditors. Since lenders will not approve an application they cannot underwrite, a freeze effectively stops unauthorized accounts from being opened in your name. Federal law guarantees this at no cost; bureaus cannot charge you to place, lift, or remove one.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts
You place a freeze directly with each of the three major bureaus through their websites, by phone, or by mail. Online and phone requests must be processed within one business day. Mail requests have a three-business-day deadline.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts Within five business days of placing the freeze, the bureau has to send you confirmation plus instructions for lifting or removing it later. Save the PIN or password they issue. You will need it every time you want to lift the freeze, and losing it means going through identity verification again.
A freeze does not shut everyone out. Your existing creditors can still pull your report. Government agencies such as child support enforcement offices can access it, and so can companies you have hired to monitor your credit.2Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Is a Credit Freeze or Security Freeze on My Credit Report Employment, tenant-screening, and insurance checks also fall outside the freeze because they rely on different legal authority.
Lift the Freeze When You Need Credit
A freeze is not a one-way door. When you want to apply for a loan or a card, request a temporary lift for a specific window rather than a permanent removal. Ask the lender which bureau they will pull, then lift only that one and keep the other two frozen.
The timelines are quick. For online or phone requests, the bureau must lift the freeze within one hour.3Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Free Credit Freezes Are Here Mail requests take up to three business days.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts When the window closes, the freeze snaps back on automatically.
Opt Out of Prescreened Offers
Hard inquiries are only part of the problem. Credit bureaus also sell lists of consumer names to creditors and insurers for marketing, which is what fuels pre-approved offers in the mail and the soft inquiries behind them. The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives you the right to shut this off.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681 – Congressional Findings and Statement of Purpose
You have two choices. A five-year opt-out can be completed entirely online at OptOutPrescreen.com or by phone at 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688).5Federal Trade Commission. What To Know About Prescreened Offers for Credit and Insurance A permanent opt-out starts the same way, but you have to print, sign, and mail a Permanent Opt-Out Election form to finish it.6OptOutPrescreen.com. Opt-In or Opt-Out Both ask for your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. The SSN and date of birth are optional, but giving them helps the request match the right file.
Opting out only blocks prescreened marketing. It will not stop you from applying for credit yourself, and it will not stop offers from companies you already do business with. If you change your mind, you can opt back in through the same website or phone number.5Federal Trade Commission. What To Know About Prescreened Offers for Credit and Insurance
Add a Fraud Alert for Lighter Protection
If a full freeze feels like more than you want, a fraud alert is the lighter option. It does not block access to your report. It flags your file so that creditors must take reasonable steps to verify your identity before opening a new account, and if you leave a phone number, they are supposed to call you first.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Do I Do if I Have Been a Victim of Identity Theft
An initial fraud alert lasts one year and is available to anyone who believes they are or may become an identity theft victim. If you have already been victimized and filed an identity theft report through IdentityTheft.gov, you can place an extended alert that lasts seven years. You only contact one bureau; it is legally required to notify the other two.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. What Do I Do if I Have Been a Victim of Identity Theft
Freezes and alerts can coexist. Running both means the freeze blocks new creditors from pulling your report, and the alert adds a verification step for any creditor who does have a legitimate reason to pull it.
Don’t Forget the Specialty Bureaus
The big three are not the only agencies holding data on you. Specialty bureaus track banking history, telecom and utility payments, and other records that identity thieves can exploit. Freezing only Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion leaves gaps.
ChexSystems
ChexSystems tracks checking and savings account history, and banks pull it when deciding whether to let you open a new account. You can freeze your file through the ChexSystems consumer portal online or by mail, with a PIN issued for future lifts.8ChexSystems. Place a Security Freeze
NCTUE
The National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange holds data that phone companies and utility providers check when you apply for service. The freeze is free through the NCTUE consumer portal at nctueconsumerportal.com, by phone at 1-866-349-5355, or by mail.9NCTUE. Consumer
Innovis
Innovis is a fourth national credit bureau used by some lenders and insurers. You can place a free freeze online, by phone at 1-800-540-2505, or by mail, and Innovis typically processes freezes within three business days.10Innovis. Security Freeze
Credit Freeze vs. Credit Lock
Each major bureau also sells a product called a credit lock, and the branding blurs the line on purpose. A freeze is a right under federal law. It is free, the timelines are set by statute, and the bureau cannot change the terms. A lock is a private product governed by whatever contract you sign. Some locks are free at a basic tier; others sit inside paid subscription bundles.
Day to day, a lock feels similar to a freeze. You toggle access through an app. But a lock’s terms of service may include arbitration clauses, liability limits, or the bureau’s right to modify the agreement, and none of that touches a statutory freeze. For most people, the freeze delivers the same protection with stronger legal backing at zero cost. A paid lock makes sense only if you want a specific extra bundled in, such as identity theft insurance or dark web monitoring. The core fraud-prevention function is the same.
If a Bureau Ignores Your Request
If a bureau or creditor willfully ignores these protections, the Fair Credit Reporting Act lets you sue. A successful claim for willful noncompliance entitles you to either your actual damages or statutory damages of $100 to $1,000, plus punitive damages if the court allows them, plus attorney’s fees and costs.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681n – Civil Liability for Willful Noncompliance “Willful” is the key word; you would need to show the violation was a knowing or reckless disregard of the law rather than a clerical slip. The penalties still give the system teeth, which is part of why bureaus and creditors treat opt-outs and freeze orders seriously.