 TITLE: How to Freeze Your Credit CONTENT: How Does a Credit Freeze Compare With a Fraud Alert?\n----------------------------------------------------\nWhile credit freezes restrict access to credit reports indefinitely, fraud alerts are temporary. An initial alert remains for one year, while an extended alert remains for seven. And while freezes must be removed before most access is granted, fraud alerts give lenders access to your credit reports and ask that they verify your identity before processing credit applications made under your name.\nCompared with the process of lifting and reapplying a credit freeze at all three credit bureaus anytime you need to allow access to your report and scores, a fraud alert offers a more convenient and potentially safer alternative. A fraud alert stays in place while you continue to use your credit as normal, and won't need to be lifted like a credit freeze would.\nUnlike a credit freeze, when you request a fraud alert at any one of the three credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion or Equifax), alerts are automatically placed at all three bureaus. Removing fraud alerts before they expire will require you to contact each bureau separately. END