To set up a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any one of the three national credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — and ask them to place the alert on your file. Federal law requires the bureau you contact to notify the other two, so a single request covers all three reports. The whole process takes about ten minutes online, costs nothing, and adds a verification step that tells lenders to confirm your identity before opening new credit in your name.
The alert doesn’t change anything in your credit file and has no effect on your credit score. It’s invisible to scoring models. What it does is flag your file so that when someone applies for credit using your information, the lender is expected to call the phone number you left with the bureau before approving the account.
What to Have Ready Before You Start
For a standard fraud alert, gather the basic identifying information the bureau needs to locate your file and set up the verification contact:
- Full legal name and Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Current and previous mailing addresses from the past two years
- A phone number where lenders can reach you to verify credit applications
If you’re submitting the request by mail, some bureaus also want a copy of a government-issued ID plus a recent utility bill or bank statement to confirm your address.
If you’re placing an extended alert because you’ve already been a victim of identity theft, you’ll also need an identity theft report. The simplest way to get one is at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC’s reporting portal, which generates an FTC Identity Theft Report and a personalized recovery plan after you answer a series of questions. A police report from your local law enforcement agency works as well.
How to Place the Alert at One Bureau
You only contact one. Whichever bureau receives your request has to notify the other two, and they must then place the same alert on your file. Pick the channel that fits your situation.
Online
Each bureau has a security portal that handles initial and active duty alerts in real time. You enter your information, submit, and the alert usually activates the same day. TransUnion states specifically that the alert appears on your report the day you place it.
- Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-fraud-alerts
- Experian: experian.com/help/fraud-alert
- TransUnion: transunion.com/fraud-alerts
By Phone
Automated systems walk you through entering your information on the keypad. Stay on the line until you hear verbal confirmation the alert has been placed.
- Equifax: 888-836-6351
- Experian: 888-397-3742
- TransUnion: 800-680-7289
By Mail
Download the fraud alert request form from the bureau’s website, complete it, and mail it in with any required documents. Certified mail with a return receipt gives you proof of delivery. This is the slowest option, but it’s the route to use for an extended fraud alert at bureaus that require you to include your identity theft report as a physical document.
- Equifax: P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30374
- Experian: P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013
- TransUnion: P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Which Type of Alert to Ask For
Federal law creates three categories, and which one you’re eligible for changes what you file.
An initial fraud alert is available to anyone who suspects they’ve been or may become a victim of fraud or identity theft. It lasts one year, can be renewed indefinitely, and requires nothing beyond identity verification. Placing one also entitles you to a free copy of your credit report from each of the three bureaus.
An extended fraud alert lasts seven years and is available only to people who have already experienced identity theft. You have to submit an identity theft report — either an FTC report from IdentityTheft.gov or a police report — as part of the application. An extended alert also removes you from prescreened credit and insurance offer mailing lists for five years and entitles you to two free credit reports per bureau during each twelve-month period after placement.
An active duty alert is for service members and lasts one year. It works the same way as an initial alert, can be renewed, and removes you from prescreened offer lists for two years. A service member can designate a personal representative, such as a spouse, to manage or remove the alert while deployed.
If you’re not sure which one to place and you haven’t experienced actual identity theft yet, the initial alert is the right starting point. You can upgrade later if the situation escalates.
Pull Your Free Reports Right After
Placing a fraud alert triggers free credit report rights beyond the standard annual report at AnnualCreditReport.com. With an initial alert, you can request one extra free report from each bureau during the twelve months after placement. With an extended alert, you get two free reports from each bureau per year for as long as the alert is active.
Request them soon after placing the alert. Reviewing your reports is how you’ll spot accounts, inquiries, or addresses you don’t recognize, and the alert itself doesn’t surface any of that for you.
Renewing or Removing the Alert
An initial or active duty alert expires after one year and does not renew automatically. If you still want the protection, place a new alert the same way you placed the first one. There’s no cap on renewals. An extended alert expires after seven years, and renewing it means resubmitting an identity theft report.
To remove an alert early, contact the bureau directly and verify your identity. Only the person who placed the alert, or an authorized representative, can take it off. That verification step is deliberate: it keeps someone who stole your identity from quietly lifting the protection.
When a Fraud Alert Isn’t Enough
A fraud alert is a verification step, not a lock. Creditors can still pull your report and open accounts; they’re just expected to confirm your identity first. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, that verification is a legal requirement, not a courtesy, and if a lender approves a fraudulent account without doing it you can file a complaint with the FTC or the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or sue directly under the FCRA. Even so, smaller creditors and store cards sometimes cut corners, so keep checking your reports after the alert is in place.
If you want stronger protection, a credit freeze blocks access to your report entirely rather than flagging it for verification, and no new accounts can be opened until you lift the freeze with a PIN. Freezes are also free, but unlike a fraud alert, a freeze has to be placed separately with each of the three bureaus. Some people who’ve been through identity theft use both.