Placing a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Report

A fraud alert is simply a statement attached to your credit reports that indicates you are (or may be) the victim of identity theft. A fraud alert signals to lenders and creditors to take extra precaution before granting credit in your name. It does not block access to your credit files, like a security freeze does.

Initial Fraud Alerts

An initial fraud alert lasts for 90 days and only requires proof of your identity. Simply call one of the credit bureaus, who will in turn alert the other two. Or, you can contact all three yourself to make sure the fraud alerts are placed on each of your reports as quickly as possible. 

You should place a 90-day initial fraud alert on your credit reports after any instance of identity theft you experience. Fraudulent transactions on your credit card, unauthorized accounts opened in your name, and even a lost or stolen wallet are all reason to contact the credit bureaus to place a fraud alert.

As the name implies, a 90-day fraud alert falls of your credit report in three months. After that time, you may consider placing an extended fraud alert.

Extended Fraud Alerts

An extended alert remains in effect for seven years. You must submit an Identity Theft Report to the bureaus before they will place an extended fraud alert on your files. An Identity Theft Report is made up of two components: A copy of the ID Theft Complaint form that identity theft victims are encouraged to fill out, and a copy of the police report you have filed with a federal, state, or local law enforcement agency about the fraud.

Extended alerts can be removed by writing to the bureaus. 

To contact the bureaus about placing fraud alerts, call:
•    Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
•    Experian: 1-888-397-3742
•    TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289