A freeze, a lock and a fraud alert all try to stop the same thing: someone opening new credit in your name. They work differently, and only two of the three are rights written into federal law. This page sets out what the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1) requires, what the FTC and CFPB tell consumers, and what each bureau’s own pages say about placing and lifting them. Everything was checked on October 22, 2026.

The three tools side by side

Sources: 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1; FTC, “Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts”; CFPB, “What is a credit freeze or security freeze?” All checked October 22, 2026.

How a security freeze works

The statute defines a security freeze as a restriction that stops a consumer reporting agency from disclosing your report. Since September 21, 2018, the three nationwide bureaus must place one “free of charge” when you ask and prove your identity. The law also sets deadlines:

Source: 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1(i)(2)–(3); CFPB, “What is a credit freeze or security freeze on my credit report?” Checked October 22, 2026.

A temporary lift lasts for a period you choose, then the freeze comes back on its own. The FTC suggests that if you can find out which bureau a lender will check, you lift the freeze only there. Example: you’re applying for a car loan on Saturday and the dealer says the lender pulls Experian. You lift your Experian freeze online on Friday night for three days. Your Equifax and TransUnion files stay frozen the whole time, and Experian refreezes on Monday without you doing anything.

Freezes for children are free too. A parent or guardian can freeze the file of a “protected consumer,” meaning someone under 16 or an incapacitated adult. If the child has no credit file, the bureau must create one just to freeze it. Each bureau has a separate process for this; TransUnion says protected-consumer freezes must go by mail.

Where to freeze at the three nationwide bureaus

From each bureau’s own freeze page, checked October 22, 2026. Experian asks mail requests to include your full name, SSN, addresses for the past two years, date of birth, a copy of government ID and a utility bill or bank statement.

The smaller agencies worth freezing

A freeze only covers the agency you place it with. Some lenders, banks and phone companies check other consumer reporting agencies instead of, or as well as, the big three. These four let you freeze directly:

Sources: Innovis, ChexSystems and NCTUE freeze pages; CFPB list of consumer reporting companies (current as of January 2025). All checked October 22, 2026. The ChexSystems and Innovis freeze pages do not state a fee; the federal free-freeze requirement in § 1681c-1(i) is written for the nationwide credit bureaus.

ChexSystems says plainly that its freeze applies “only to your ChexSystems consumer report.” If a thief could open a bank account in your name, the Equifax freeze won’t stop the bank from approving it using ChexSystems data.

What a freeze doesn’t block

The statute lists who can still get your report while it is frozen (§ 1681c-1(i)(4)). In plain terms:

• Your existing creditors, for reviewing or collecting on accounts you already have, and debt collectors or buyers of those accounts. The FTC says you can keep using your current cards and loans normally.
• Prescreened offers. Firms using the prescreening rules in § 1681b(c) are on the exception list. To stop those mailers, opt out at optoutprescreen.com or 1-888-567-8688 (five years online, or permanently by signing and mailing the form).
• Insurance underwriting, employment, tenant and background screening. The CFPB notes the freeze rules don’t apply to reports pulled for employment, tenant screening or insurance.
• Government uses: court orders, subpoenas, child-support agencies, and agencies collecting taxes or court debts.
• Identity checks and fraud prevention that aren’t for granting credit, and credit monitoring you signed up for.
• You. You can still get your own reports, including free weekly copies (see how to get a free credit report).

A freeze also does nothing about fraud on an account that is already open, such as a stolen card number. And it doesn’t freeze your score: the FTC points out your score can still change if creditors report late payments.

Fraud alerts: initial, extended and active duty

A fraud alert doesn’t hide your report. It tells a lender that pulls it to take extra steps before extending new credit, raising a limit or issuing an additional card. You only have to contact one bureau; by law it must pass the alert to the other two.

Source: 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1(a)–(c), (h); FTC, “Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts.” Checked October 22, 2026. The one-year initial alert dates from September 21, 2018; the FTC says alerts placed before then should be renewed to get the full year.

An alert is softer than a freeze: a lender that skips its verification steps can still approve an application. But it is useful when you need credit soon and don’t want to lift freezes, or as a free extra layer on top of a freeze.

Credit locks: what you’re paying for

A lock is a product, not a legal right. The CFPB says the bureaus offer locks for a fee, often bundled with other paid services, and that locks are no more effective than freezes. The FTC makes the same point: a freeze is based on federal law, while a lock is governed by your agreement with each bureau, which can vary and change. Experian, for example, says its CreditLock is included in a paid membership.

The practical draw of a lock is convenience, typically an app toggle. Since the 2018 law, though, a freeze can also be lifted online in minutes, and the bureau must act within an hour. If you’re weighing a monthly subscription mainly for the lock, the freeze gives you the same protection with deadlines the law enforces.

Which one should you use?

• You aren’t planning to apply for credit for a while: freeze everywhere. It’s the strongest free option.
• You think your data was exposed and you’re applying for a mortgage this month: an initial fraud alert lets lenders keep pulling your report while forcing them to verify it’s you. Freeze after closing.
• Someone already opened accounts in your name: file a report at IdentityTheft.gov, place an extended fraud alert, freeze at every agency, then dispute the fraudulent accounts (see how to dispute your credit report).
• You’re deploying: an active duty alert, plus a freeze if you won’t need new credit while away.

FAQ

Sources

Only primary sources: statute text, federal agencies and the reporting companies’ own pages. All checked October 22, 2026.

1. 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-1, “Identity theft prevention; fraud alerts and active duty alerts” (including subsection (i), security freezes) — law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1681c-1. Alert durations, free reports, lender duties, freeze deadlines, exceptions, protected consumers.
2. FTC, “Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts” — consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-fraud-alerts. Who qualifies, child freezes, lifting at one bureau.
3. FTC, “New credit law FAQs,” October 4, 2018 — consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2018/10/new-credit-law-faqs. September 21, 2018 effective date, existing accounts, score still changes.
4. CFPB, “What is a credit freeze or security freeze on my credit report?” — consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/…-en-1341. Timing, locks for a fee, employment/tenant/insurance exclusion.
5. FTC, “Initial fraud alerts, credit freezes, and credit locks: What’s the difference?” — consumer.ftc.gov (PDF). Freeze based on federal law, lock based on agreement.
6. FTC, “What To Know About Prescreened Offers for Credit and Insurance” — consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-prescreened-offers-credit-and-insurance. Opt-out site, phone, five-year and permanent options.
7. Equifax, “Credit Freeze” — equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze. Phone number, myEquifax requirement.
8. Experian, Freeze Center — experian.com/freeze/center.html. Phone, mail address and documents, CreditLock in paid membership.
9. TransUnion, “Freeze Your Credit Report by Mail or Phone” and Freeze Support Center — transunion.com/credit-freeze/mail-or-phone. Phone, mail address, protected-consumer freezes by mail.
10. Innovis, Security Freeze — innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze. Online, phone and mail options; PIN.
11. ChexSystems, Place a Security Freeze and Security Freeze Information — chexsystems.com/security-freeze/place-freeze. Mail address, documents, PIN, scope of freeze.
12. NCTUE, Consumers — nctue.com/consumers. Coverage, Equifax as operator, freeze contacts, no fee.
13. CFPB, List of consumer reporting companies (current as of January 2025) — consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/credit-reports-and-scores/consumer-reporting-companies/companies-list. Which agencies offer freezes.

Educational information, not legal or financial advice. Bureaus change their phone lines, forms and products; if something here no longer matches the agency’s own page, tell us. · Advertiser disclosure

Keep going

• How to get your free credit reports →
• How to dispute your credit report →
• Hard vs. soft credit inquiries →
• Your debt collection rights →
• Free credit roadmap tool →