Protect and fix
Freezing your credit and leaving it frozen
Free to place and to lift. A frozen file is a quiet one: new lenders cannot open an account in your name.
A security freeze stops new lenders from pulling your credit file until you lift it. Federal law makes it free to place and to lift, and it does not affect your existing accounts or your score.
How
You contact each of the three nationwide credit bureaus separately; a freeze at one does not reach the others. Requested online or by phone, a bureau must place it within one business day. The CFPB's list of consumer reporting companies has the contact details. Keep the PIN or login each one gives you.
Leave it on
The calm version of this habit is to keep the freeze on and lift it only when you apply for credit. Asked online or by phone, a bureau must lift it within one hour, for a set time or for one lender.
In the monthly check-in
Confirm it is still on. If you ever find an account you did not open, see the CFPB's page on what to do if you think you are a victim of identity theft, and the step-by-step guide at Credit Help.
Sources
- 15 U.S.C. 1681c-1, fraud alerts and security freezes (Cornell LII) law.cornell.edu, accessed 2026-10-24
- CFPB: What do I do if I think I have been a victim of identity theft? consumerfinance.gov, accessed 2026-10-24
- CFPB: List of consumer reporting companies consumerfinance.gov, accessed 2026-10-24
How this page was made
Drafted with a language model from the sources above. Jake Lawrence read it against those sources and signed it on October 24, 2026. Legal information, not legal advice. Found an error? See Corrections.