How to Get Your Money Back After a Scam
Card chargebacks, wire recalls, Zelle/Venmo disputes, gift cards and crypto — ranked by your real odds of recovery.
Read the guide →Key takeaways
- A security freeze is the strongest free protection: it blocks lenders from pulling your credit file, so criminals can't open new accounts in your name.
- Freezes have been free at all three bureaus by federal law since September 2018 — anyone charging you to place one is not the real bureau.
- You must freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately. Online, the whole job takes about 15 minutes.
- A fraud alert is a lighter tool: free, placed at one bureau (which notifies the other two), and it tells lenders to verify your identity before approving credit.
- "Credit locks" sold in bureau apps do a similar job but are contractual products, sometimes paid — a freeze is the version backed by federal law.
If your Social Security number was exposed in a breach, someone opened an account in your name, or you just want to slam the door on identity thieves, the answer for most people is simple: freeze your credit at all three bureaus today. It's free, it doesn't touch your credit score, and you can lift it in minutes whenever you need to apply for something.
If a criminal has already used your identity, the freeze is step two — step one is filing an official FTC Identity Theft Report at IdentityTheft.gov. Our guide to reporting identity theft covers that; then come back here.
Freeze vs. fraud alert vs. credit lock: the plain-English comparison
| Option | Cost | Duration | What it actually does | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security freeze | Free (federal law) | Until you lift it | Blocks new-account credit pulls entirely; lenders see a frozen file and can't approve the application | Almost everyone, especially after a breach or theft |
| Initial fraud alert | Free | 1 year, renewable | Flags your file so businesses must take reasonable steps to verify it's really you before extending credit | People who apply for credit often and want lighter friction |
| Extended fraud alert | Free | 7 years | Same verification flag, but stronger: requires an FTC Identity Theft Report to place, and gets you extra free credit reports | Confirmed identity theft victims |
| Credit lock | Free or paid, varies by bureau | Until you unlock | App-based on/off switch similar to a freeze, but governed by the bureau's terms of service, not statute | People who want app convenience and understand the difference |
Three details worth knowing before you choose:
- The freeze is a legal right. Since September 21, 2018, federal law has required the bureaus to place and lift freezes for free, on tight deadlines. The FTC explains the rules in its official guide to credit freezes and fraud alerts.
- A fraud alert is one-stop; a freeze is not. Place a fraud alert with any one bureau and it must notify the other two. A freeze must be placed with each bureau individually.
- A lock is a product; a freeze is a law. Locks are convenient app switches, but your protections come from a contract the bureau wrote, and some bureaus bundle locks into paid subscriptions. If you only do one thing, do the freeze.
How to freeze your credit in about 15 minutes
- Gather your details. You'll need your Social Security number, date of birth, address history, and an email address. Keep a photo ID handy in case a bureau asks you to verify.
- Freeze at Equifax. Go to the official Equifax security freeze page and create a myEquifax account, or call 800-685-1111.
- Freeze at Experian. Use the official Experian Freeze Center, or call 888-397-3742.
- Freeze at TransUnion. Use the official TransUnion credit freeze page, or call 888-909-8872.
- Save your credentials somewhere safe. Each bureau gives you an account login, and some issue a PIN. You'll need these to thaw later — store them in a password manager or a locked drawer, not a sticky note.
- Confirm all three went through. Online and phone freezes must take effect within one business day. Each bureau should send a confirmation; keep it.
Freezing by mail works too, but takes up to three business days after the bureau receives your request. Online is faster and lets you thaw yourself later.
Identity theft is not a rare event: the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network logged more than a million identity theft reports in 2024 alone — and new-account fraud is exactly what a freeze is built to stop.
Thawing: how to unfreeze when you actually need credit
When you apply for a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or apartment, you'll temporarily lift ("thaw") the freeze:
- Ask the lender which bureau it pulls from. Often you only need to thaw one.
- Schedule a window. Log in to the bureau's site or call, and set a thaw for specific dates — say, one week while your mortgage is in underwriting. The freeze re-engages automatically when the window closes.
- Timing is fast by law. Online and phone thaw requests must take effect within one hour — plan a day ahead and the freeze will never slow down a loan.
What a freeze does NOT stop
A security freeze blocks one thing: new credit accounts that require a credit pull. It does not stop:
- Tax refund fraud. A thief with your SSN can still file a fake tax return. Get a free IRS Identity Protection PIN to block that.
- Fraud on your existing accounts. Stolen card numbers and account takeovers happen regardless of a freeze. Monitor statements and dispute charges fast — our guide on getting your money back explains the deadlines that matter.
- Government benefits, employment, and medical identity fraud. These don't run through the credit bureaus' new-account channel.
- Permitted pulls. Your existing creditors, debt collectors on existing debts, and certain employment, insurance, and tenant-screening uses can still access your file under federal law.
If any of those have already happened to you, start with our walkthrough of where to report a scam so the right agency gets the report.
Warning: "credit repair" and "fund recovery" follow-up scams. After a fraud incident, scammers often circle back posing as recovery specialists, credit fixers, or even government agents, promising to erase the fraud or recover your losses for an upfront fee. Anyone who contacts you out of the blue promising to get your money back for a fee is running the second act of the scam — real agencies never cold-call victims or charge them. Report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Advanced moves: kids, banks, and utilities
Freeze your children's credit
Child identity theft can run undetected for years because nobody checks a 9-year-old's credit report. Federal law lets a parent or guardian freeze a child under 16 for free. Since most kids have no credit file, the bureaus create one and then freeze it — usually by mailing copies of the birth certificate and your own ID to each bureau, per the instructions on the freeze pages linked above.
ChexSystems and NCTUE
The big three aren't the only consumer-reporting databases. ChexSystems, which many banks check before opening a checking account, and NCTUE, used by phone carriers and utilities, both accept free security freezes. Both are worth locking if your SSN has been exposed.
Do you still need monitoring if you're frozen?
A freeze is prevention; monitoring is detection. Even frozen, pull your free reports from AnnualCreditReport.com (you're entitled to free weekly reports from each bureau) and watch for accounts you don't recognize. Paid identity-protection services add dark-web alerts, restoration help, and insurance — useful for some households, unnecessary for others. We break down when they're worth paying for in our guide to identity theft protection services.
One more thing: if you know about fraud not as a victim but as an insider — an employee who's seen a company defrauding the government, cooking its books, or laundering money — government programs pay whistleblowers 10–30% of what's recovered. See our directory of whistleblower reward programs.
Frequently asked questions
Does a credit freeze hurt my credit score?
No. A security freeze has zero effect on your credit score. It doesn't stop your existing accounts from reporting, and it doesn't appear as a negative item. You can also still check your own credit while frozen.
Is a credit lock as good as a credit freeze?
A lock blocks new-account pulls much like a freeze, but the similarity ends there. A freeze is guaranteed free with legally mandated timelines under federal law; a lock is a contractual product governed by each bureau's terms, and some bureaus have charged for it or bundled it into subscriptions. If you want the version with legal teeth, choose the freeze — you can always add a lock later for app convenience.
How long does it take to unfreeze my credit when I apply for a loan?
By federal law, the bureau must lift a freeze within one hour of an online or phone request. You can also schedule a temporary thaw window in advance for specific dates, and ask your lender which bureau it pulls so you only thaw that one.
Do I need to freeze my credit at all three bureaus?
Yes. Unlike a fraud alert — which you place at one bureau and it notifies the other two — a freeze only covers the bureau where you placed it. A lender can pull from any of the three, so freeze Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately. For extra coverage, consider ChexSystems (bank accounts) and NCTUE (phone and utility accounts) as well.
Should I use a fraud alert or a freeze after a data breach?
If your Social Security number was exposed, a freeze is the stronger choice: it blocks new-account credit pulls outright rather than merely asking lenders to verify your identity. If a thief has already opened accounts in your name, file an FTC Identity Theft Report at IdentityTheft.gov — that report also qualifies you for the 7-year extended fraud alert, and you can run it alongside a freeze. See our step-by-step guide to reporting identity theft.
Last updated: July 4, 2026. AntiFraud.com links only to official and nonprofit help channels — never paid "recovery services" — read our methodology.