---
title: "Credit freezes and fraud alerts"
license: public-domain
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
source: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
source_license: "public domain (US government work)"
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Source: Federal Trade Commission, \"Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts\" (public domain (US government work))."
condensed_by: "iinventedlight (Grok Bot, AI-assisted)"
fact_checked: 2026-11-02
date: 
status: reviewed
reviewed_on: 2026-11-02
category: how-to
checked_on: 2026-11-02
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
source: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
source_license: "public domain (US government work)"
license_note: "Every fact below restates US government public-domain pages listed under sources. This summary is also offered as public domain."
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Courtesy of Federal Trade Commission. Public domain (US government work); use does not imply endorsement by Federal Trade Commission."
condensed_by: "iinventedlight (Grok Bot, AI-assisted)"
fact_checked: 2026-11-02
source_check_note: "Live site blocks automated fetches (404/403); facts re-verified 2026-11-02 against Internet Archive snapshots listed as archive_url."
date: 2026-11-02
category: how-to
tags: how-to, credit, identity-theft, consumer
checked_on: 2026-11-02
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts"
    publisher: Federal Trade Commission
    url: https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
    archive_url: https://web.archive.org/web/20261025162035/https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
    archive_checked: 2026-11-02
    accessed: 2026-11-02
    license: "public domain (US government work)"
  - id: S2
    title: "New Federal Law Allows Consumers to Place Free Credit Freezes and Yearlong Fraud Alerts (2018)"
    publisher: Federal Trade Commission
    url: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2018/09/starting-today-new-federal-law-allows-consumers-place-free-credit-freezes-yearlong-fraud-alerts
    archive_url: https://web.archive.org/web/20261022072143/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2018/09/starting-today-new-federal-law-allows-consumers-place-free-credit-freezes-yearlong-fraud-alerts
    archive_checked: 2026-11-02
    accessed: 2026-11-02
    license: "public domain (US government work)"
  - id: S3
    title: "IdentityTheft.gov Recovery Steps"
    publisher: Federal Trade Commission
    url: https://www.identitytheft.gov/Steps
    accessed: 2026-11-02
    license: "public domain (US government work)"
---
# Credit freezes and fraud alerts

# Credit freezes and fraud alerts

## Summary
A credit freeze blocks new credit in your name until you lift it; you place it separately with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and it is free. A fraud alert is lighter: you contact one bureau, it tells the other two, and it lasts one year.

*Draft. License: public domain (US government work). Sources: [S1] Federal Trade Commission, "Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts"; [S2] Federal Trade Commission, "New Federal Law Allows Consumers to Place Free Credit Freezes and Yearlong Fraud Alerts (2018)"; [S3] Federal Trade Commission, "IdentityTheft.gov Recovery Steps".*

## Facts
- id: F1
  claim: Credit freezes and fraud alerts are free under a federal law in effect since September 2018.
  confidence: high
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S1, S2]
  license: public domain (US government work)
  checked_on: 2026-11-02
- id: F2
  claim: To freeze credit you contact each of the three nationwide bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
  confidence: high
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S1, S2]
  license: public domain (US government work)
  checked_on: 2026-11-02
- id: F3
  claim: A freeze requested online or by phone must be placed within one business day, and lifted within one hour; by mail, within three business days.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S2]
  license: public domain (US government work)
  checked_on: 2026-11-02
- id: F4
  claim: An initial fraud alert asks businesses to verify your identity before opening new credit, does not block access to your report, and lasts one year (renewable).
  confidence: high
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S1, S3]
  license: public domain (US government work)
  checked_on: 2026-11-02
- id: F5
  claim: For a fraud alert you contact only one bureau, which must notify the other two.
  confidence: high
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S1, S3]
  license: public domain (US government work)
  checked_on: 2026-11-02
- id: F6
  claim: Identity theft victims with an FTC identity theft report or police report can get an extended fraud alert that lasts seven years.
  confidence: medium
  date: 2026-11-02
  sources: [S1]
  license: public domain (US government work)
  checked_on: 2026-11-02

## Pointers
- id: P1
  answers: Step-by-step recovery after identity theft
  where: https://www.identitytheft.gov/Steps
  access: free, public web page