How to Put a Freeze on Your Credit
You can place a security freeze for free by contacting each nationwide credit reporting company—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion—separately online, by phone, or by mail. You must verify your identity and will receive a PIN or password to lift or remove the freeze later. A freeze restricts access to your credit report for most credit checks.
A security freeze, also called a credit freeze, is a restriction you can place on your credit report at each nationwide credit reporting company. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you have the right to place, temporarily lift, or remove a security freeze for free. A freeze prevents most lenders and other businesses from accessing your credit report for credit decisions, such as opening a new credit card or loan. It is different from a fraud alert, which encourages businesses to verify your identity before extending credit but does not block access to your report.
To place a freeze, you must contact each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies separately: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. There is no single request that freezes your report at all three. Each company offers an online, telephone, and mail process. You will need to provide personal information such as your full name, current and prior addresses, date of birth, and Social Security number. The company may also ask for proof of identity, like a copy of your driver's license, state ID, or a utility bill. After verifying your identity, the company will place the freeze and send you a personal identification number (PIN) or password. Keep that PIN or password in a safe place because you will need it to lift or remove the freeze later.
Once a freeze is in place, it remains active until you take action to lift or remove it. You can temporarily lift the freeze for a specific lender or for a set period, or you can remove it permanently. Lifting a freeze may involve a fee under some state laws, but the initial placement of a freeze is free nationwide. If you apply for credit while a freeze is active, the lender cannot access your credit report, so your application may be delayed or declined until you lift the freeze. The freeze does not affect your credit score directly, because it does not change the information in your credit report; it only restricts who can see it.
A security freeze has limits. It does not block all access to your credit report. Existing creditors, debt collectors, and government agencies may still access your report for certain purposes, such as collecting a debt or verifying eligibility for public benefits. The freeze also does not prevent you from obtaining your free annual credit reports from annualcreditreport.com. It does not stop identity theft if your personal information is already compromised, but it can limit the opening of new accounts in your name. A freeze is different from a credit lock, which is a product some companies offer with different terms and conditions. To manage a freeze, you must contact each credit reporting company individually; there is no single nationwide freeze.