How to Put a Fraud Alert on My Credit Report

A fraud alert is a statement placed in your credit file that asks a company to take reasonable steps to verify your identity before extending new credit in your name. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, a consumer can request one by contacting any single national credit reporting company — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — and that company is required to pass the request on to the other two. The alert is placed at no charge. It does not block access to the file and it does not stop a lender from seeing the report; it adds a verification step before new credit is opened.

To request an initial fraud alert, a consumer contacts one of the three companies and provides identifying information: full name, current and recent addresses, Social Security number, date of birth, and proof of identity such as a government-issued identification. The company may also ask for a police report, an identity theft report, or other documentation. An initial alert stays on the file for one year and can be renewed. Consumers who have placed an extended alert have access to additional free file disclosures under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, beyond the free reports available through AnnualCreditReport.com.

An extended fraud alert lasts seven years and requires an identity theft report — a report filed with a law enforcement agency, or an Identity Theft Report filed through IdentityTheft.gov — along with proof of identity. An extended alert also excludes the consumer from prescreened solicitation lists for five years unless the consumer agrees otherwise. Members of the military on active duty can place an active duty alert, which stays on the file for one year and removes the consumer's name from prescreened solicitation lists for two years. Alerts can be lifted or removed early by requesting removal from each of the three companies and supplying the documentation they require.

A fraud alert is not the same as a security freeze. A freeze restricts access to the credit file so that most creditors cannot see it until the consumer lifts it; an alert leaves the file accessible but asks creditors to verify identity first. Neither tool prevents every instance of identity theft, and a creditor that takes reasonable steps to confirm identity may still open an account. Because the three national credit reporting companies maintain separate files, the single-call process is what routes one request to all three. Both alerts and freezes are free by law.