Fraud alerts notify creditors to verify your identity before extending credit in case someone is using your information without your consent.
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You can add an initial and active duty alert on your Experian credit file online in real-time. Extended fraud alerts require proof of identity theft and we’ll review your proof upon receiving documents by mail or upload.
Initial and active duty alerts expire after 12 months and extended alerts last for seven years. You have the right to add a new alert after one expires.
You can remove a fraud alert from your Experian credit file online. To remove fraud alerts from Equifax® and TransUnion®, you’ll need to contact each separately.
Parents and guardians can place a fraud alert on the credit file of their children under the age of 16. You can request a minor’s credit report, fraud alert or security freeze by mail.
A fraud alert is a notification that appears in your credit file instructing lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity before processing credit card or loan applications in order to prevent identity thieves and other criminals from securing loans or opening credit accounts in your name.
Do you have to place a fraud alert with each credit bureau?
Requesting a fraud alert at any one of the credit bureaus automatically applies alerts to your credit files at all three bureaus. Each fraud alert deactivates itself on a preset expiration date. You can remove a fraud alert, but you must contact each credit bureau individually. While the bureaus notify one another when an alert is activated, they do not when one is removed.
Can you change your phone number for an existing fraud alert?
Your fraud alert phone number may be used by lenders to verify your identity. If your phone number has changed, you can update it by clicking on "Manage alert" in the fraud alert center once you log into your Experian account.
There are three types of fraud alerts, and you have the right to request any one that applies to you:
| Initial Fraud Alert | Extended Fraud Alert | Active Duty Alert | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free | Free |
| When to use | You suspect you’ve been or may become a victim of identity theft. | When you are a victim of identity theft. You will need an FTC identity theft report or police report in order to place an extended fraud alert. | You’re an active duty service member and want to protect your credit file. |
| Duration | 1 year | 7 years | 1 year |
A fraud alert has no impact at all on the contents of your credit report, or on the credit scores derived from the data in your credit report. Therefore, it can neither help nor hurt your ability to qualify for a loan or credit card.
A fraud alert can affect your ability to get instant approval for credit card or in-store credit offers you find online or at retail outlets. The automated approval systems used for these offers may not be equipped to handle the identity confirmation steps fraud alerts require. So while you cannot be disqualified for a credit offer due to a fraud alert, you may have to contact retailer reps by phone or in person to complete your application.
You may place a fraud alert if you’re worried about potential misuse of your personal information: for example, if you suspect your Social Security number has been stolen or exposed in a data breach, or if you’ll be on a military assignment and unlikely to be able to closely monitor your credit activity. A fraud alert can prevent unauthorized access to your credit files without significantly hindering authorized access to them. It’s easy to remove fraud alerts if you find out your data wasn’t compromised, or to just let them lapse if you find you aren’t getting any indication that fraudsters are applying for credit in your name.
If you’re certain your data has been compromised, you may seek an extended fraud victim alert, which lasts for seven years. Alternatively, you could freeze your credit. A security freeze, also known as a credit freeze, is a more extreme measure—it limits access to your credit report unless you remove it or authorize temporary access to your files, and it never expires unless you remove it. A credit freeze can be inconvenient if you’re actively applying for new loans or credit cards, but it can be useful if you don’t plan on getting new credit, and don’t want to worry about renewing a fraud alert once it’s expired.
To request an extended fraud alert from Experian, you will need a copy of an identity theft report that you filed with a law enforcement agency, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) or your local police. The FTC has a designated identity theft website with step-by-step instructions to help identity theft victims. You can report identity theft or follow up on specific types of data theft situations, such as data breach, tax fraud or stolen information.
Alternatively, or in addition to, the FTC identity theft report, you may make a report of identity theft to your local police department. Making a report to your local police may be especially helpful if:
Learn about your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including your state’s identity theft notice of rights.
Experian’s online service is a convenient way to manage your fraud alert. If you cannot access our online service, you can contact us by:
If you would like to request a fraud alert with Experian by mail, you can write to:
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
Written requests should include the following information:
Ensure that each copy is legible and displays your name, current mailing address and issue date.
Phone
You can also contact us by phone to add or remove a fraud alert.
1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742)
A security freeze and Experian CreditLock will both limit access to your Experian credit report, while a fraud alert requests creditors to verify your identity before granting credit.
| Fraud Alert | Experian CreditLock | Security Freeze | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, as a consumer right granted by the Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA) | Included in a paid membership | Free, as a consumer right granted by the Fair Credit Report Act (FCRA) |
| When to use | When you are or suspect you are or may become a victim of identity theft and plan to use credit in the next months or years | When you are concerned about identity theft and want the ability to easily lock and unlock your Experian credit file | When you are or suspect you are a victim of identity theft |
| Are credit applications blocked? | No, creditors are instructed to verify your identity before processing credit or loan applications made in your name | Yes | Yes, credit inquiries for new credit applications are blocked on your Experian credit file |
| Shared with other bureaus? | Yes, a fraud alert placed at any credit bureau is shared with the others | No | No, you have to initiate a freeze at each bureau |
| How long it lasts | 1 year for an initial or active duty alert and 7 years for an extended fraud alert | Permanent, until you unlock or cancel your paid subscription | Permanent, until you unfreeze |
| Can you remove? | Yes, you can easily remove a fraud alert from your Experian credit file online, by phone or mail. To remove it from Equifax® and TransUnion®, you’ll need to contact each separately | Yes, you can easily lock, unlock or schedule an unlock online | Yes, you can easily freeze, remove or schedule a removal online, by phone or mail |
| Do you get alerts for attempted inquiries? | Possibly. Some creditors may have automated approval systems to handle identity confirmation and some may contact you to complete an application in your name, but all creditors are instructed to verify your identity before processing | Yes, you can get mobile and/or email alerts for any suspicious inquiries when your credit report is locked | No, but you can receive alerts when something changes with your freeze status |
You can opt in or out of pre-screened offers, which include firm offers from lenders for credit cards, loans or insurance that aren’t initiated by you at any time.
As a precaution, when you add an initial fraud alert with Experian, we will remove your name and address from pre-screened offer lists for 6 months. We’re required by law to remove your name and address from pre-screened offer mailing lists when you add an active duty alert for 2 years or extended fraud alert for 5 years.
Pre-screened firm offers are different from prequalified offers. If you consented to receive personalized credit card, loan or insurance offers matched to your credit (“Prequalified offers”), such as through Experian Marketplace, you will continue to receive those offers. Opting out of pre-screened offers will not change your Experian.com marketing email preferences.
The first step in protecting yourself from identity theft is learning how it occurs. From there, you can start taking steps to limit your exposure. There’s no way to prevent identity theft entirely, but you can make it harder for criminals to gain access to your information and accounts.
Para información en español, visite www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore o escribe a la Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street N.W., Washington, DC 20552.
Remedying the Effects of Identity Theft
You are receiving this information because you have notified a consumer reporting agency that you believe that you are a victim of identity theft. Identity theft occurs when someone uses your name, Social Security number, date of birth, or other identifying information, without authority, to commit fraud. For example, someone may have committed identity theft by using your personal information to open a credit card account or get a loan in your name. For more information, www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore or write to: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 1700 G Street N.W., Washington, DC 20552.
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives you specific rights when you are, or believe that you are, the victim of identity theft. Here is a brief summary of the rights designed to help you recover from identity theft.
You have the right to ask that nationwide consumer reporting agencies place “fraud alerts” in your file to let potential creditors and others know that you may be a victim of identity theft. A fraud alert can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you. It also may delay your ability to obtain credit. You may place a fraud alert in your file by calling just one of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies. As soon as that agency processes your fraud alert, it will notify the other two, which then also must place fraud alerts in your file.
An initial fraud alert stays in your file for at least one year. An extended alert stays in your file for seven years. To place either of these alerts, a consumer reporting agency will require you to provide appropriate proof of your identity, which may include your Social Security number. If you ask for an extended alert, you will have to provide an identity theft report. An identity theft report includes a copy of a report you have filed with a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency, and additional information a consumer reporting agency may require you to submit. For more detailed information about the identity theft report, visit www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore.
You have the right to free copies of the information in your file (your “file disclosure”). An initial fraud alert entitles you to a copy of all the information in your file at each of the three nationwide agencies, and an extended alert entitles you to two free file disclosures in a 12-month period following the placing of the alert. These additional disclosures may help you detect signs of fraud, for example, whether fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or whether someone has reported a change in your address. Once a year, you also have the right to a free copy of the information in your file at any consumer reporting agency, if you believe it has inaccurate information due to fraud, such as identity theft. You also have the ability to obtain additional free file disclosures under other provisions of the FCRA. See www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore.
You have the right to obtain documents relating to fraudulent transactions made or accounts opened using your personal information. A creditor or other business must give you copies of applications and other business records relating to transactions and accounts that resulted from the theft of your identity, if you ask for them in writing. A business may ask you for proof of your identity, a police report, and an affidavit before giving you the documents. It may also specify an address for you to send your request. Under certain circumstances a business can refuse to provide you with these documents. See www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore.
You have the right to obtain information from a debt collector. If you ask, a debt collector must provide you with certain information about the debt you believe was incurred in your name by an identity thief – like the name of the creditor and the amount of the debt.
If you believe information in your file results from identity theft, you have the right to ask that a consumer reporting agency block that information from your file. An identity thief may run up bills in your name and not pay them. Information about the unpaid bills may appear on your consumer report. Should you decide to ask a consumer reporting agency to block the reporting of this information, you must identify the information to block, and provide the consumer reporting agency with proof of your identity and a copy of your identity theft report. The consumer reporting agency can refuse or cancel your request for a block if, for example, you don’t provide the necessary documentation, or where the block results from an error or a material misrepresentation of fact made by you. If the agency declines or rescinds the block, it must notify you. Once a debt resulting from identity theft has been blocked, a person or business with notice of the block may not sell, transfer, or place the debt for collection.
You also may prevent businesses from reporting information about you to consumer reporting agencies if you believe the information is a result of identity theft. To do so, you must send your request to the address specified by the business that reports the information to the consumer reporting agency. The business will expect you to identify what information you do not want reported and to provide an identity theft report.
The following FCRA right applies with respect to nationwide consumer reporting agencies:
CONSUMERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBTAIN A SECURITY FREEZE
You have a right to place a “security freeze” on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit.
As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended fraud alert on your credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting 7 years.
A security freeze does not apply to a person or entity, or its affiliates, or collection agencies acting on behalf of the person or entity, with which you have an existing account that requests information in your credit report for the purposes of reviewing or collecting the account. Reviewing the account includes activities related to account maintenance, monitoring, credit line increases, and account upgrades and enhancements.
To learn more about identity theft and how to deal with its consequences, visit www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore, or write to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. You may have additional rights under state law. For more information, contact your local consumer protection agency or your state Attorney General.
In addition to the new rights and procedures to help consumers deal with the effects of identity theft, the FCRA has many other important consumer protections. They are described in more detail at www.consumerfinance.gov/learnmore.
