How to freeze your credit

The Big Three

There are three major credit bureaus; you will need to create an account at each bureau to properly secure your information.   

Experian 

Online: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html 

(see screenshots and step by step instructions below) 

By Phone: call 888-397-3742 

TransUnion 

Online: https://service.transunion.com/dss/login.page 

(see screenshots and step by step instructions below) 

By Phone: 888-909-8872 

Equifax 

Online: Security Freeze | Freeze or Unfreeze Your Credit | Equifax® 

By Phone: (automated) 800-349-9960 or (customer care) 888-298-0045 

Note that all three bureaus offer a mechanism to freeze your credit by mail; however, due to the sensitive nature of the information you must provide and the possibility of lost or intercepted mail, we do not recommend this method.

Step-by-step Instructions to Freeze your Credit

1. Experian

If you already have an Experian account set up click Sign in at the bottom of this dialog box, otherwise, click on Create a free account. There are two steps to creating a new account displayed below.  

If you ONLY want to use this service to freeze your account, choose the Experian Service Account, otherwise you can use the Free Membership option.

After you have set up your account, it will ask you to select a method to verify the phone number associated with the account. You can choose to receive a 6-digit code over text or voice.

Once you have created an account, you can proceed to the Credit Freeze selection. If it does not populate automatically, you must follow these steps to navigate to the credit freeze. Select Credit, then Experian CreditLock.

Scroll to the bottom of the ExperianCreditLock page and select to Manage security freeze.

Once you have successfully frozen your Experian credit file, you should see a screen like this.

2. Transunion

If you already have a TransUnion account set up click LOG IN, otherwise, click on Create Account (note that this is free and does not require any payment).

The steps for account creation are included below.

You will need to verify your account with the phone number used to create the account. You can choose to receive a passcode via text or voice to do so.

Once you are logged in, under the home screen you will see the option to freeze your credit under the TransUnion Service Center. Select it.

Once you have successfully frozen your TransUnion credit file, you should get this confirmation.

3. Equifax

If you already have an account, it will prompt you to log in. If not, you will be prompted to create an account.

The steps to create an account are shown below. Once you have made your account, you will be prompted to confirm the phone number associated with the account via text or voice code.

Once logged in as a new user, you will see this screen. Select to place a freeze on your credit.

After you have successfully frozen your credit, you will see this message confirming it is done.

When Should I Unfreeze My Credit?

You only need to unfreeze your credit when you intend to open a new trade line (such as applying for a credit card, loan, or mortgage) or when you need to allow someone to pull your credit report for a background check (commonly for pre-employment screening or buying/selling a business). The process is quick and easy and can be done using the same link or phone number previously provided in this document.

Please note that SYM highly recommends using a password management system to create and manage strong, unique passwords, especially for sites with sensitive information like the credit bureaus. If you aren’t already using a reputable password manager like 1Password, LastPass, or Dashlane, and would like more information on selecting and setting one up, please contact your SYM Advisory team.