Credit Freeze After Identity Theft: What to Do Next.
Freezing Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion can make new-account fraud harder. Closing compromised accounts and removing identity-theft information take separate steps.
Quick answer
A credit freeze makes it harder for someone to open a new credit account in your name. It does not stop charges on an existing card, close a compromised account, or remove fraudulent information already on a credit report.
If money is moving or someone is using an account now, contact the bank, card issuer, or affected company first through a number or app you know is genuine. Then freeze your files separately at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
If someone has already used your identity, report it at IdentityTheft.gov. The report gives you a recovery plan and supports later requests to close fraudulent accounts or correct credit reports.
The Credit Proud identity-theft response checklist keeps the steps and official links in one place. It does not ask for names, account numbers, or case details.
Stop active fraud first
A freeze cannot stop activity on an existing account. Call the affected company through the number on your card or statement, an app you already use, or its official website. Ask for the fraud department, identify the activity that is not yours, and ask what the company can do to stop more transactions. Keep the date, department, representative, and any case number in your own secure records.
A caller or unexpected message may claim to be helping with fraud. Never move money, buy gift cards, withdraw cash, or share a verification code because that person says it will protect an account.
Freeze all three credit files
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion maintain separate files, so freezing one leaves the other two unchanged.
Federal law makes these freezes free to place and lift. A freeze remains until you lift or remove it, and placing one does not affect your credit scores. When you legitimately apply for credit, ask which bureau the lender will check and, when possible, lift only that freeze for the necessary period.
Look for the free security-freeze option. Bureaus may advertise paid monitoring or credit locks on the same page, but you do not need either one to place a freeze.
Which action fits?
| Action | What it does | Where to request it | When it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit freeze | Restricts access to a credit file for most new-credit decisions | Each of the three bureaus separately | Prevention, exposed information, or confirmed misuse |
| Fraud alert | Tells prospective creditors to verify your identity before granting new credit | One bureau, which must notify the other two | Suspected or confirmed identity theft when you want an added verification warning |
| Identity-theft block | Blocks identified identity-theft information from being reported | Each reporting company showing the fraudulent information | Confirmed and documented identity theft already appearing on a report |
An initial fraud alert lasts one year. An extended alert lasts seven years and requires an FTC Identity Theft Report or police report. You can keep either kind of alert while your files are frozen. An alert does not replace the freezes.
Exposed information, but no misuse found
What you do next depends on what was exposed. Passwords, payment cards, bank account details, driver’s licenses, Social Security numbers, and medical identifiers call for different steps. Check the FTC data-breach response for each type of exposed information.
Change compromised or reused passwords through the genuine service. Secure your primary email account, then review its account-recovery methods and recent sessions.
Get your reports through AnnualCreditReport.com. Look for unfamiliar accounts, inquiries, addresses, balances, and collection entries. Finding activity that is not yours changes the problem from exposure to confirmed misuse.
When someone has used your information
For confirmed misuse, work in this order:
- Contact each company where fraud happened and stop ongoing activity.
- Secure affected logins and your primary email account.
- Freeze Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately.
- Review all three credit reports and save secure copies.
- Create an FTC Identity Theft Report and recovery plan at IdentityTheft.gov.
- Follow the FTC plan for each affected account and record.
- If identity-theft information appears on a report, request a block from each reporting company showing it.
An FTC report does not itself close an account or correct every record. It documents the identity theft and gives you a recovery plan. You can use the report in later requests.
Block identity-theft information on a report
An identity-theft block under section 605B of the Fair Credit Reporting Act is not the same as disputing an ordinary reporting error.
The reporting company must receive:
- Appropriate proof of your identity.
- A copy of an identity-theft report.
- Identification of the information that resulted from identity theft.
- Your statement that the information does not relate to a transaction you made.
After the reporting company has all four items, section 605B gives it four business days to block the identified information. The law lets a reporting company decline or rescind a block in specific circumstances, including a material misrepresentation or a request made in error.
Start with the official IdentityTheft.gov letter, then check the bureau’s current instructions. Prepare a separate packet for each bureau showing fraudulent information. Keep a full copy and delivery evidence.
Credit Proud’s private browser-based block-letter builder and identity-theft correction pack can help you draft and organize the request. They are educational aids; the official FTC plan and current bureau requirements control what you submit.
For an inaccurate item that did not result from identity theft, use the ordinary credit-report dispute process instead.
What a freeze does not cover
A freeze is aimed at new-account fraud. It does not:
- Stop purchases, transfers, or withdrawals on an existing account.
- Reverse an unauthorized charge.
- Close a fraudulent or compromised account.
- Remove identity-theft information already on a report.
- Replace an FTC Identity Theft Report.
- Block every employment, tenant-screening, insurance, bank-account, telecom, or other specialty consumer report.
For misuse involving a report outside Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, use the CFPB’s list of consumer reporting companies to find the relevant company. An identity-theft incident does not automatically call for freezing every company listed.
Cases that need another official path
Tax identity theft, child identity theft, and misuse of medical, benefits, employment, or criminal records can take you beyond the three credit bureaus.
- For tax protection, review the IRS Identity Protection PIN. Do not file Form 14039 unless the IRS instructions fit your situation.
- For a child, use the FTC child identity-theft instructions; the minor-freeze process differs from the adult process.
- For other forms of misuse, answer the questions at IdentityTheft.gov to get a situation-specific recovery plan.
Open the checklist
Open the credit-freeze and identity-theft response checklist to choose the closest situation and follow the official links in order. You can mark progress without saving it. If you turn on saving, the marks stay in this browser. Keep identity documents, passwords, reports, and case numbers in your own secure records. The checklist does not ask for them.
