Was It Breached Secria

Should you freeze your credit after a data breach?

If your letter lists your Social Security number, the FTC says a freeze can help. It's free, and stops new creditors seeing your report until you lift it.1

Select a card. The times are set by federal law. Checked 4 November 2026 against the sources.

Freeze, fraud alert, or the monitoring in your letter

They do different jobs, and you can have more than one.

A freeze blocks

Creditors usually won't lend without checking your report, so a freeze helps stop someone opening accounts in your name. It lasts until you remove it.1 Monitoring you've signed up for keeps working: the law exempts it from the freeze.2

A fraud alert asks

An alert doesn't limit access to your report. It tells businesses to check with you before opening an account. Contact one bureau and it must tell the other two. It lasts a year and you can renew it free.1

How to freeze your credit

A freeze at one bureau doesn't reach the other two, so do all three.1,3

  1. Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.The FTC links to each bureau's help page: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services, experian.com/help and transunion.com/credit-help.1
  2. Have your details ready.Breach letters list what the bureaus ask for: your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, addresses for the past five years, proof of address and a copy of a government ID.4
  3. Keep the PIN or password each bureau gives you.You'll need it to lift the freeze later.3
  4. Lift it only where you need to.Applying for credit or a job? Ask which bureau the business uses, and lift the freeze only there.3

The law's clocks

Federal law sets how fast each bureau must act, free of charge, once it has your request and proof of identity.2

1 business day

To place a freeze you ask for online or by phone. By mail: 3 business days.2

1 hour

To lift a freeze you ask to remove online or by phone. By mail: 3 business days.2

5 business days

To confirm the freeze and tell you how to remove it.2

What a freeze doesn't stop

The law lists who can still see a frozen report. The FTC adds that a freeze won't affect your score or your existing cards.2,1

For a child, or someone in your care

If your child is under 16, the FTC says to request a free credit freeze.5 The law also covers adults with a court-appointed guardian or conservator; the representative asks for it.2

Questions people ask

How long should I freeze my credit after a data breach?

There's no set period. A freeze lasts until you lift it, and you can lift it for a while when you apply for credit.1,2

Does freezing your credit hurt your score?

No. The FTC says a freeze won't affect your credit score or your ability to use existing cards.1

Does a freeze stop soft inquiries or background checks?

No. Your current lenders, insurers, prescreened offers and employment, tenant or background screening are all exempt under federal law.2 This isn't legal advice.

Should I freeze my credit or take the free monitoring?

You can do both: monitoring you subscribe to is exempt from the freeze.2 Monitoring watches your credit files for signs of fraud; a freeze makes new credit hard to open.4,1 Check the enrollment deadline in your letter.

Sources 5
  1. Credit freeze or fraud alert: Which is right for you?, Federal Trade Commission. Read 4 November 2026.
  2. 15 U.S. Code ยง 1681c-1, subsections (i) National security freeze and (j) protected consumers, as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Read 4 November 2026.
  3. Eurail B.V.: sample notice, additional steps (dated 27 March 2026), California Attorney General. Read 4 November 2026.
  4. Prosper Marketplace, Inc.: sample notice, Attachment B (dated 9 December 2025), California Attorney General. Read 4 November 2026.
  5. What to know about credit freezes and fraud alerts (August 2025), Federal Trade Commission. Read 4 November 2026.

Every step comes from the law, a government source or a filed letter, and every source shows the day we read it. How we check