Fraud alert
A free flag on your credit file telling lenders to check with you before opening new credit. An initial alert lasts one year. An extended alert lasts seven years and requires an identity theft report.
A fraud alert is a notice on your credit file that tells a business to verify your identity before it opens new credit in your name. The FTC lists two kinds. An initial fraud alert is free and lasts one year, and it can be renewed. You only need to ask one of the three credit bureaus, and that bureau must notify the other two.
An extended fraud alert is stronger. It lasts seven years and also removes you from unsolicited credit offer marketing lists for five years. To get one you must have experienced identity theft and completed an FTC identity theft report, or filed a police report.
The difference from a credit freeze is what happens to your file. A fraud alert asks lenders to check with you first. A freeze stops new credit accounts being opened in your name at all.
Where it shows up
- Synthetic identity fraud · A stolen Social Security number, given a name and a birthday that were never real, aged for years until a bank finally believes it.
- Phishing and smishing · A small, cheap problem and a link that fixes it, on a screen where you cannot see where the link goes.
- Unemployment insurance fraud · A stranger claims benefits in your name, and the first sign you get is a tax form for money you were never paid.
Sources
- What To Know About Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts. US Federal Trade Commission. Accessed 2026-10-10. Supports: The duration, cost and eligibility rules for initial and extended fraud alerts, and that one bureau notifies the others.