How to Place a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Report
A fraud alert asks the three nationwide credit reporting agencies to take extra steps to verify your identity before extending credit in your name. You request it from any one agency, which must notify the other two, and it lasts one year for an initial request or seven years for an extended one supported by an identity theft report.
This guide is general educational information for U.S. readers. It is not financial advice and does not describe your individual credit file. Figures such as score ranges and timeline estimates are typical examples, not promises.
Key takeaways
- An initial fraud alert lasts one year, and an extended fraud alert lasts seven years.
- A fraud alert is requested from any one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies, which must notify the other two.
- An extended fraud alert requires an identity theft report, such as an FTC Identity Theft Report filed at IdentityTheft.gov.
- A fraud alert prompts a business to verify identity, while a security freeze restricts access to the credit report itself.
- A security freeze is free to place, temporarily lift, or remove under federal law and must be requested at each agency separately.
- Fraud alerts are governed by FCRA section 605A, codified at 15 U.S.C. section 1681c-1.
A fraud alert tells the three nationwide credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — that a business requesting your credit report should take reasonable steps to confirm the applicant is really you. You place one by contacting any single agency, which must then notify the other two. An initial fraud alert lasts one year; an extended fraud alert, which requires an identity theft report, lasts seven years.
Both types come from section 605A of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, codified at 15 U.S.C. section 1681c-1, and the mechanics are summarized by the Federal Trade Commission. The FCRA was enacted in 1970 and amended by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act in 2003, the law that added the fraud alert and identity theft provisions consumers use today.
What a fraud alert actually does
A fraud alert is a flag on your credit file, not a lock on it. It does not stop a credit report from being accessed for a permissible purpose, and it does not by itself prevent an account from being opened. What it does is prompt a business that is about to extend credit to verify your identity first, typically by calling the telephone number you provided when the alert was placed.
Because the alert is attached to your credit file, it travels with the file. Once the agency you contacted refers the request, all three nationwide agencies are required to include it. That is why a fraud alert can be placed through a single online form or phone call rather than three separate requests.
How to place a fraud alert on your credit
Each of the three nationwide agencies accepts fraud alert requests online, by phone, and by mail. The process works the same way whichever agency you choose.
- Choose one agency — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — and use the fraud alert channel that agency publishes on its own site.
- Provide identifying information: legal name, current and recent addresses, Social Security number, and date of birth.
- Give a telephone number the agency can pass along to businesses that pull your file. The alert asks those businesses to reach you at that number.
- State which alert you are requesting. An initial fraud alert requires only a statement that you suspect fraud or identity theft.
- For an extended fraud alert, submit an identity theft report together with proof of your identity.
- Keep the written confirmation each agency sends, and note the date the alert expires.
Initial fraud alert: one year
An initial fraud alert lasts one year. It is the type the FTC describes for a consumer who suspects fraud or identity theft but does not have a completed identity theft report — after a data breach notice, for example, or a lost wallet. No police report is required, and the request can be made online or by phone. When the year ends, a new initial alert requires a new request.
Extended fraud alert: seven years
An extended fraud alert lasts seven years and requires an identity theft report. An FTC Identity Theft Report, created by filing at IdentityTheft.gov, qualifies, as does a report filed with a law enforcement agency. The FTC notes that an extended alert also carries an exclusion from the agencies' marketing lists for unsolicited credit and insurance offers for five years.
Fraud alert, security freeze, and credit lock compared
| Tool | How long it lasts | What it requires | Where it is requested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial fraud alert | 1 year | Identification details and a contact telephone number; a statement that you suspect fraud or identity theft | Any one of the three nationwide agencies |
| Extended fraud alert | 7 years | An identity theft report and proof of identity | Any one of the three nationwide agencies |
| Security freeze | Until you temporarily lift or remove it | Identification details; no police report | Each of the three agencies separately |
A security freeze is a different legal tool. Where a fraud alert asks a business to verify identity, a freeze restricts access to the report itself until the consumer temporarily lifts or removes it. Federal law makes a freeze free to place, temporarily lift, or remove. Because a freeze is not handled through a single referral, it must be requested at each of the three agencies — the process is set out on the credit freeze page.
A credit lock is not the freeze right created by federal law. It is a product an agency offers under its own terms, and the practical differences are covered on the credit lock page.
What happens after the alert is placed
The agency you contacted must refer the request to the other two, and all three must then include the alert in the file they maintain. Written confirmation generally arrives by mail from each agency. Because the alert is tied to your file rather than to a single account, it applies to any new credit application a business processes using that file.
An alert does not remove anything from your credit report, and it does not pause the reporting of existing accounts. If a fraudulent account has already been opened, the alert and the account are separate issues. The account is handled through the dispute process and, where applicable, through the identity theft block in FCRA section 605B, 15 U.S.C. section 1681c-2, which allows a consumer who submits an identity theft report to ask an agency to block information that resulted from identity theft.
Reports, disputes, and identity theft reports
Under the FCRA you are entitled to a free credit report from each nationwide agency every 12 months, and the three agencies currently provide free reports weekly through AnnualCreditReport.com. A report from each agency can show accounts, inquiries, and addresses that the others may not hold. Background on how those files are assembled is on the credit reports page.
If your identity is stolen, you can report it at IdentityTheft.gov and to the IRS using Form 14039. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created by the Dodd-Frank Act in 2010 and operating since 2011, publishes consumer guidance on fraud and scams and on what follows a report.
Disputes run on a separate clock. Under the FCRA a credit reporting agency generally must investigate a dispute within 30 days, and the period can extend to 45 days if the consumer provides additional information during the initial 30-day period. Most negative information, including late payments, stays on a credit report for 7 years. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays for 10 years, a Chapter 13 bankruptcy for 7 years, and hard inquiries typically remain for 2 years.
Fraud alerts and credit scores
A fraud alert is a note about identity verification, not a credit account or a payment record. FICO lists the factors it weighs as payment history 35%, amounts owed 30%, length of credit history 15%, new credit 10%, and credit mix 10%; a fraud alert is not among them. VantageScore uses its own factor weighting and does not publish fixed percentages. Most credit scores, including FICO and VantageScore, use a range of 300 to 850. The mechanics are explained in how credit scores are calculated and FICO vs. VantageScore.
Where a fraud alert fits among other protections
Fraud alerts sit alongside freezes, locks, monitoring, and disputes in the wider set of identity theft protections. Credit monitoring observes activity on credit files, a freeze restricts access to a report, and an alert prompts verification at the point of a new application. The identity theft hub collects the guides in this cluster, and the credit score hub covers the scoring side.
This page is published for education only and is not financial advice.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you place a fraud alert on your credit?
Contact any one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion — online, by phone, or by mail. Under FCRA section 605A, the agency you contact must refer the request to the other two, and all three must include the alert in the file they maintain.
How long does a fraud alert last?
An initial fraud alert lasts one year. An extended fraud alert lasts seven years and requires an identity theft report, such as an FTC Identity Theft Report filed at IdentityTheft.gov or a report filed with a law enforcement agency.
Do you have to contact all three credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert?
No. A fraud alert is requested from a single agency, which is required to notify the other two. A security freeze works differently and must be requested at each of the three agencies separately.
What is the difference between a fraud alert and a security freeze?
A fraud alert prompts a business to verify identity before extending credit and lasts one year or seven years. A security freeze restricts access to the credit report itself until the consumer temporarily lifts or removes it, and federal law makes it free to place, temporarily lift, or remove.
Does a fraud alert prevent new accounts from being opened in your name?
Not directly. A fraud alert is a signal in the credit file that asks a business to take reasonable steps to confirm identity before proceeding. It does not block access to the report. Separately, FCRA section 605B allows a consumer who submits an identity theft report to ask an agency to block information on a report that resulted from identity theft.
Does a fraud alert change a credit score?
A fraud alert is a note about identity verification rather than a credit account, and it is not among the factors FICO lists for scoring: payment history 35%, amounts owed 30%, length of credit history 15%, new credit 10%, and credit mix 10%. VantageScore uses its own weighting and does not publish fixed percentages. Most credit scores, including FICO and VantageScore, use a range of 300 to 850.
Related guides
- How Credit Scores Are Calculated
- Fico Vs Vantagescore
- Credit Score Ranges Explained
- Credit Utilization Explained