How to Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Report

To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any one of the three nationwide credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — by phone, online, or by mail. Federal law requires the bureau you contact to notify the other two, so a single free request covers all three files.¹ Once the alert is active, lenders must take reasonable steps to verify your identity before opening new credit in your name.

Pick the Right Type of Alert First

Federal law gives you three options, and the one you request affects both how long the alert lasts and what documents you’ll need.¹

An initial fraud alert lasts one year and is available to anyone who suspects they are or may become an identity theft victim. No proof is required, and you can renew it when it expires.²
An extended fraud alert lasts seven years and is for confirmed identity theft victims. You must submit an identity theft report along with your request.
An active duty alert lasts one year and is for military service members deployed away from their usual duty station.

All three are free. If you only suspect a problem, the initial alert is the right starting point; if someone has actually used your identity, the extended alert gives you stronger protection for much longer.

Contact One Bureau

You only need to reach out to one of the three. That bureau is legally required to refer your alert to the other two.¹

Phone and Online

Phone and online requests are usually processed right away.³

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 or equifax.com
Experian: experian.com/help/fraud-alert
TransUnion: 1-888-909-8872 or transunion.com

Online portals walk you through identity verification screens. Phone systems use touch-tone prompts to confirm your information and submit the request.

By Mail

If you’d rather have a paper record, download each bureau’s alert request form from its website and mail it to:⁴

Equifax, P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374
Experian, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

Mail takes longer because of delivery time, but it creates a physical record of the submission.

Information to Have Ready

Whichever route you use, the bureau needs enough to find your credit file and confirm you are who you say you are:

Full legal name
Social Security number
Date of birth
Current and previous addresses from the past two years
A phone number where lenders can reach you (this number becomes part of the alert)

Mail requests typically also require a copy of a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, and proof of your current address, such as a utility bill or bank statement.⁴

For an extended alert, add an identity theft report. The simplest way to create one is at IdentityTheft.gov, which generates a report that both proves the theft to businesses and gives you a recovery plan.⁵ A police report filed with local law enforcement also qualifies.

What Happens After You Submit

The bureau you contact refers your alert to the other two, and it may take up to 48 hours for all three files to reflect it. You should receive written confirmation by mail or email, including the expiration date.

Placing an alert also entitles you to extra free credit reports. With an initial alert, each bureau must let you request one free copy of your credit file. With an extended alert, you can request two free copies from each bureau over the 12 months after placement, and the bureau must provide them within three business days.¹ Look them over promptly for accounts or inquiries that may have slipped through before the alert took effect.

When your alert is active, any lender pulling your report has legal duties. For an initial or active duty alert, they cannot open a new account, add a card, or raise your credit limit without taking reasonable steps to confirm your identity, which usually means calling the phone number you listed. For an extended alert, the standard is stricter: the lender must contact you directly, using the method you specified, before approving the application.¹

Fraud Alert vs. Credit Freeze

A fraud alert and a credit freeze are not the same tool. A fraud alert leaves your credit report accessible and simply requires lenders to verify your identity first. A credit freeze blocks access entirely, so no one (including you) can open new credit until you lift it.² Neither affects your credit score, and both are free under federal law. You can keep both in place at once if you want an additional layer.

Renewing, Removing, or Updating Your Alert

An initial or active duty alert expires after one year; an extended alert expires after seven. You can renew when the term ends by placing a new alert the same way you placed the first one.

Removal works differently from placement. Contacting one bureau does not automatically remove the alert from the other two — you have to contact each bureau individually, online, by phone, or by mail. Mail requests generally need the same identity documents you used to place the alert.³

The same is true if your phone number changes. Since that number is how lenders verify you, an outdated one can hold up a legitimate application. Update it at each bureau separately through your online account, the fraud department line, or a written request with identity documents. Phone number changes do not transfer between bureaus the way the initial placement does.

1
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
2
Consumer Advice – FTC. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
3
Experian. Fraud Alert
4
Equifax. Fraud and Active Duty Alerts
5
FTC. IdentityTheft.gov Helps You Report and Recover From Identity Theft