AI-assisted source summary. Read the scope and exceptions, then follow the original documents below.
Applies to
United States · nationwide credit reporting companies
Time context
Public guidance checked October 20, 2026
Sources checked
These are US credit-file rules, not a freeze on your bank balance. Employment, tenant-screening and insurance reports have separate rules.
Ask for the free security freeze
CFPB says freezing and unfreezing at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion is free. Contact each separately. A paid credit-lock bundle is not required to exercise that right.
A freeze restricts prospective creditors' access; monitoring alerts you to changes. FTC notes that freezes do not lower your credit score. Neither replaces checking existing accounts for unauthorized transactions.
Keep your recovery details safely and plan a temporary lift when a lender needs access. Our buying checklist: identify exactly what a paid package adds beyond the free freeze before accepting recurring charges.
Original documents used for this summary. Multiple links from one publisher are not independent corroboration. Policies can change after the check date.
AI-assisted research, writing and translation by No Secrets, using the linked public documents. This is a source summary, not firsthand reporting or an independently audited investigation. No affiliate links are used in this article.
The date above records this research pass, not the date of every underlying event. The English and Chinese versions are AI-assisted summaries; the linked original controls if they differ.