Since September 2018, credit freezes have been free at all three major US consumer credit bureaus under federal law. They are the single most effective defensive step an individual can take after a breach — more than "credit monitoring," which only tells you after the fact. A freeze prevents new accounts from being opened in your name because the bureau will not release a report to a lender.

This is the exact process. Do all three bureaus. Doing only one leaves the others exposed.

Equifax

  • Web: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
  • Phone: 1-800-349-9960
  • Mail: Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348-5788

Fastest route: create a myEquifax account, verify your identity with the usual out-of-wallet questions, and toggle the freeze on. You get a PIN (save it to your password manager). Takes under 10 minutes.

Experian

  • Web: experian.com/freeze
  • Phone: 1-888-397-3742
  • Mail: Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013

Same flow. Account creation, identity verification, freeze toggle. Experian will try repeatedly to upsell you to paid monitoring. Decline. The freeze itself is free and separate from any product.

TransUnion

  • Web: transunion.com/credit-freeze
  • Phone: 1-888-909-8872
  • Mail: TransUnion LLC, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Likewise: account, verification, freeze. TransUnion's TrueIdentity product bundles free freeze management — fine to use, just ignore the paid tiers.

Do Not Forget the Smaller Bureaus

The Big Three get most of the attention, but lenders and identity services pull from others. Freeze these too:

  • Innovis (1-800-540-2505, innovis.com/personal/securityFreeze) — often used as a fourth bureau.
  • NCTUE (1-866-349-5355, exchangeservicecenter.com) — National Consumer Telecom & Utilities Exchange; used for cell and utility accounts.
  • ChexSystems (1-800-887-7652, chexsystems.com) — used when opening bank accounts.
  • LexisNexis (1-800-456-6004) — used in insurance underwriting.

Child Credit Freezes

Under the same 2018 federal law, parents and guardians can freeze the credit of a minor under 16 for free. Because children have no established credit activity, synthetic identity fraud against their SSN can go unnoticed for years — often until the child applies for a first credit card or student loan.

Each bureau has a separate child freeze process, and it requires more documentation (proof of the parent-child relationship, the child's SSN, often a birth certificate). Mail-in is the common path.

  • Equifax: Minor Security Freeze packet
  • Experian: Minor freeze via mail with documentation
  • TransUnion: Minor freeze via the online portal or mail

Allow 2-4 weeks for processing. This is one of the highest-value, lowest-visibility protective steps a parent can take.

When to Unfreeze

A freeze is not a one-way street. You lift it temporarily when you need to:

  • Apply for a new credit card, loan, or mortgage.
  • Rent an apartment (many landlords pull credit).
  • Open a new cell phone account.
  • Get certain insurance quotes that use credit-based underwriting.

You can thaw for a specified period (e.g., 3 days) or by specific bureau (if the lender tells you which one they pull). Online thaws are instant. The freeze auto-reapplies after the window.

Pro tip: ask the lender which bureau they pull. You often only need to thaw one, not all three.

Freezes vs. Fraud Alerts

These are different tools. Know when to use each:

  • Fraud alert: The lender is instructed to take extra steps (like calling you) before issuing credit. It does not block credit. Free, lasts one year (initial) or seven years (extended, requires identity-theft affidavit). Place with one bureau and they share to the other two.
  • Credit freeze: The lender cannot pull your report at all without you lifting it. Strongest protection. Free, place and lift with each bureau individually.

If you have been the victim of identity theft, you do both: extended fraud alert plus freeze. Belt and suspenders.

What a Freeze Does Not Do

  • It does not stop existing accounts from being compromised. Still monitor your statements.
  • It does not prevent IRS-refund identity theft (Form 14039 handles that).
  • It does not prevent medical identity theft.
  • It does not prevent SSN-based account takeovers at accounts you already hold.

Freeze your credit. Freeze your kids'. Freeze the side bureaus. It takes an hour total, costs nothing, and blocks the single most common monetization path for stolen SSNs. There is genuinely no downside.