How to Put a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Report

To put a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any one of the three national credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — online, by phone, or by mail. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the bureau you contact must notify the other two, so a single request covers all three files. The alert is free, takes about ten minutes to request, and typically activates within one business day when you submit online or by phone.¹

Here is where to send the request:

Equifax: equifax.com, 800-525-6285, or P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348
Experian: experian.com, 888-397-3742, or P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013²
TransUnion: transunion.com, 800-680-7289, or P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

Pick whichever is most convenient. The referral requirement to the other two bureaus applies no matter which one you start with.

Choose the Right Type of Alert First

Federal law creates three fraud alert categories under 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1, and each has different eligibility rules and lengths. Decide which one fits before you contact the bureau, because the online forms route you differently.³

An initial fraud alert lasts at least one year and is available if you believe you are, or are about to become, a victim of identity theft. You do not need to submit any documentation beyond proof of your identity. This is the alert most people place after a lost wallet, a phishing scare, or a data breach notice.

An extended fraud alert lasts seven years and is available if you have already been victimized and can provide a valid identity theft report. That report can be one you generate through the FTC’s IdentityTheft.gov portal or a police report. Along with the longer protection, an extended alert entitles you to two free credit reports from each bureau during the following 12 months, delivered within three business days of your request.

An active duty military alert lasts at least 12 months and is available to service members who want protection while deployed or otherwise unable to monitor their credit closely.

All three are free. The statute’s notice-of-rights provision states explicitly that consumers may place an initial or extended alert “at no cost.”³

What to Have Ready Before You Submit

Every request requires the same core identifiers so the bureau can match you to the correct credit file:

Full legal name
Social Security number
Date of birth
Complete mailing addresses for the past two years

Enter each field exactly as it appears on your government documents. A minor discrepancy between the name on your request and the name in the bureau’s records can cause the automated system to reject the submission.

Written requests need more. Bureaus ask for a copy of a government-issued ID such as a driver’s license, plus a utility bill or bank statement showing your current address.² For an extended alert, add a valid identity theft report. The easiest way to generate one is through IdentityTheft.gov, where you answer questions about what happened and receive a report you can send to the bureaus. Filing a false identity theft report with the FTC is a federal offense.⁴

Include a phone number where you can actually be reached. When a lender pulls your file and sees the alert, that number is what they use to verify you before opening an account.

What Happens After You Submit

Online submissions walk you through identity verification and end with a confirmation screen showing a reference number. Save it. Phone submissions use an automated system that provides verbal confirmation once your identity is validated. Either method is usually processed within one business day.

Mail is slower. Send it certified so you have proof of delivery, and expect written confirmation only after the bureau receives and verifies your documents.

Once the alert is live, any lender reviewing your credit is supposed to use reasonable procedures to confirm the identity of anyone applying in your name before approving credit. If you included a phone number, the lender should call it or take other reasonable steps to reach you.⁵

The alert itself does not change your credit score. It adds no negative information, and scoring models do not factor in the presence of an alert.⁶ It can slow down applications, since the verification step is the point.

Expiration and Renewal

Each alert expires on its own. Initial and active duty alerts drop off after 12 months; extended alerts drop off after seven years. To keep protection in place, submit a fresh request when the current one lapses. Renewing an extended alert requires a new identity theft report.

You can also remove an alert early. This requires contacting the bureau and going through identity verification, which may include providing copies of your government-issued ID so the bureau can confirm you are the person requesting removal rather than someone trying to strip the protection.²

Fraud Alert or Credit Freeze

These two protections are often confused, and picking the wrong one can leave gaps. A fraud alert flags your file and tells lenders to verify your identity, but it does not block anyone from pulling your credit. A credit freeze locks your report so most lenders cannot access it at all.¹

Both are free. The practical difference is convenience versus strength. A fraud alert spreads from one bureau to all three automatically. A freeze has to be placed at each bureau individually, and every time you apply for credit you must temporarily lift it. If you are actively applying for a mortgage or auto loan, an alert is the less disruptive choice. If you are not planning to apply for anything soon and want the strongest available protection, a freeze makes more sense. You can use both at the same time.

Cover Bank and Utility Accounts Too

The three national credit bureaus cover most lending, but they do not track everything a thief might open in your name. Two specialized consumer reporting agencies do, and placing alerts with them takes only a few extra minutes.

ChexSystems reports on checking and savings account history, and banks check it before opening new deposit accounts. Place a security alert online through the ChexSystems consumer portal, by phone at 888-478-6536, or by mail to Chex Systems, Inc., Attn: Consumer Relations, P.O. Box 583399, Minneapolis, MN 55458. A standard alert lasts one year. A notarized identity theft affidavit extends it to seven.⁷

NCTUE, the National Consumer Telecom and Utilities Exchange, tracks account history with phone, internet, and utility companies. Providers check it before opening new service. Place an alert through the NCTUE consumer portal at nctueconsumerportal.com, by phone at 866-349-3233, or by mail to Exchange Service Center – NCTUE, P.O. Box 105398, Atlanta, GA 30348. Initial alerts last one year; extended alerts require an identity theft report and last seven years.⁸

If a Lender Ignores the Alert

An alert only works when lenders honor it. If one is ignored and a fraudulent account gets opened as a result, the Fair Credit Reporting Act provides for statutory damages of $100 to $1,000 per willful violation, plus actual damages and potentially punitive damages and attorney’s fees.⁹ A practical first step short of litigation is filing a complaint with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau at consumerfinance.gov or 855-411-2372. The CFPB forwards complaints to the company, which generally must respond within 15 days, or up to 60 days in more complex cases.¹⁰

1
Federal Trade Commission. Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts
2
Experian. Fraud Alert
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681c-1 – Identity Theft Prevention; Fraud Alerts and Active Duty Alerts
4
IdentityTheft.gov. Identity Theft Report and Recovery Plan Information
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC Chapter 41, Subchapter III – Credit Reporting Agencies – Section: 1681c-1
6
Experian. How Do Fraud Alerts Affect Credit
7
ChexSystems. Place Security Alert
8
National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange. Consumer
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1681n – Civil Liability for Willful Noncompliance
10
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Learn How the Complaint Process Works