How to freeze your credit, and how it differs from a fraud alert

A security freeze, usually called a credit freeze, stops new lenders from pulling your credit file until you lift it. Since most lenders will not open an account without one, a freeze is the strongest single step against new accounts opened in your name. Federal law makes it free to place and to lift.

How to place one

You contact each of the three nationwide credit bureaus separately; a freeze at one does not reach the others. Each offers it online, by phone, or by mail. The CFPB's list of consumer reporting companies has the contact details.

• Requested online or by phone, the bureau must place the freeze within one business day.
• By mail, within three business days of receiving your request.
• Each bureau gives you a PIN or an account login. Keep it; you will need it to lift the freeze.

Lifting it when you apply for credit

You can lift the freeze for a set time or for one lender, then let it return. Asked online or by phone, the bureau must lift it within one hour. If you know which bureau a lender uses, you only need to lift that one.

Freeze, fraud alert, or lock

A "credit lock" is a product some bureaus offer under their own terms, sometimes with a fee. It is not the freeze federal law defines; read the terms before choosing it over a freeze.

What a freeze does not do

It does not affect your credit score or your existing accounts. It does not apply to companies you already have accounts with when they review or collect those accounts, or to employment and tenant screening. It does not stop misuse of an account you already have, so keep reading your statements. If someone has already used your information, follow the identity theft recovery steps.

Freezes for children and dependents

A parent or guardian can place a freeze for a child under 16, and a guardian or representative can place one for an incapacitated adult. The bureau will ask for proof of authority.