Freeze Your Credit, Guard Your Number

The story: Ana locks the door

Ana reads a data breach letter at home. A lock appears over Ana’s credit, then a key opens it briefly for an apartment application.

1. Narrator: Ana got a letter: a phone company Ana once used had a data breach.
2. Ana: My name and Social Security number might be out there now. What can I do?
3. Adult: A credit freeze at all three bureaus is free. It blocks new accounts in your name.
4. Narrator: With a freeze, new lenders can’t see the report, so a thief can’t open credit with Ana’s number.
5. Ana: But I’m applying for an apartment next month.
6. Narrator: Ana can lift the freeze for a few days before applying. Landlords and phone carriers check credit too.
7. Ana: A few minutes online, and it locks again after.
8. Narrator: Frozen by default, thawed when you apply.

What you’ll learn

1. Freeze, fraud alert or monitoring?

   A credit freeze blocks new lenders from seeing your report, so new accounts can’t be opened in your name. It’s free. A fraud alert asks lenders to check it’s really you. Credit monitoring only tells you after something happens.

2. Freeze at all three bureaus

   A freeze only works at the bureau where you place it, so people freeze at all three. A bureau may pitch paid monitoring during sign-up; it’s fine to say no. Keep the PIN or login each bureau gives you somewhere safe.

3. Thaw before you apply

   Before applying for a loan, a card, an apartment or a phone plan, people lift the freeze for a short time, often online in minutes. Landlords and phone carriers check credit too. Specialty reports that banks use can be frozen as well.

4. Guard your number

   Your Social Security number is the key thieves want. Share it only when it’s truly needed: jobs, taxes, banks, lenders and government benefits. When anyone else asks, ask why, and whether another ID works.

Key words

credit freeze

a free lock that stops new credit being opened in your name

thaw

lifting a freeze for a short time so you can apply

Also called: temporary lift

fraud alert

a flag asking lenders to check it’s really you

credit monitoring

a service that tells you about changes after they happen

Common questions

Does a freeze hurt my credit score?

No. A freeze doesn’t change your score, and your current cards and loans keep working as usual.

What about banking reports?

Banks and phone companies sometimes use specialty reports too. Many of those can be frozen as well. The CFPB card lists them.

Remember this

Frozen by default, thawed when you apply.

Try it: Freeze your credit at all three bureaus

1. Open each bureau’s freeze page from the links on the fact card (outside the app).
2. Place a free freeze at each one, about 15 minutes in all, and decline paid add-ons.
3. Save each bureau’s PIN or login somewhere safe.

The whole mission; no account or app needed.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• Credit freezes and fraud alerts, with links to all three bureaus

  Source: FTC (consumer.ftc.gov)(opens in a new tab)

• Specialty reports used by banks, landlords and phone companies

  Source: ConsumerFinance.gov(opens in a new tab)

• If your information was stolen

  Source: IdentityTheft.gov(opens in a new tab)