How to Place a Fraud Alert on Experian

• You spot a credit inquiry you never authorized (this often triggers an initial alert).
• A lender or creditor contacts you about an account you never opened.
• You receive a utility or loan statement addressed to you that you never requested.
• Your bank flags suspicious activity on a known account.
• Experian or another credit bureau notifies you that your personal information may have been exposed.

If any of these appear, gather the required documents in the next section, 'what personal info you must have before contacting Experian,' before placing your Experian fraud alert.

You must have your core identifiers on hand before you call Experian. Gather these details so the representative can verify you and open the initial alert (1‑year duration).

• Full legal name (including middle name or initial)
• Social Security number (or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number)
• Date of birth
• Current residential address and at least one previous address from the past two years
• Primary phone number and email address associated with the credit file
• Driver's license number, state of issue, or other government‑issued ID number (optional but may speed verification)

Having this information ready lets you skip the identity‑verification steps and move straight to placing the Experian fraud alert, after which you can follow the online or mail procedures described in the next sections.

Now that you have your Social Security number, birth date, and current address, you can place an Experian fraud alert online in about five minutes. Log in to the Experian fraud‑alert portal, fill the short form, and confirm the initial alert.

1. Open Experian fraud‑alert request page in a secure browser.
2. Enter your full name, Social Security number, and date of birth exactly as they appear on your credit file.
3. Provide your current residential address and a reliable email address for confirmation.
4. Answer the two‑factor security questions (e.g., last four digits of a past loan).
5. Select 'initial alert' (1‑year duration) and submit the request.
6. Check your email for the confirmation message; the alert becomes active within minutes.

If you cannot complete the online form, see the next section on calling or mailing Experian.

Call Experian's dedicated fraud‑alert line or mail a written request when you can't use the online portal.

Phone request

• Dial 1‑888‑397‑3742 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
• Verify your identity by providing your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and the address on your credit file.
• State you want an initial alert (1‑year duration) or, if you have documented identity theft, an extended alert (7‑year duration).
• Ask for a reference number and request written confirmation to your mailing address.

Mail request

• Write a letter addressed to:
  Experian Security Freeze,
  P.O. Box 9554,
  Allen, TX 75013.
• Include your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, and current address.
• Attach a copy of a government‑issued ID (driver's license or passport) and a utility bill or bank statement for address verification.
• Clearly state 'I am requesting an Experian fraud alert' and specify whether it is an initial alert or an extended alert.
• Sign the letter and mail it via certified mail for tracking.

After Experian validates your information, they will place the fraud alert on your file and send you a confirmation letter; the next section explains what Experian does after the alert is in place.

Experian immediately records your request, adds an Experian fraud alert to your credit file, and tags the file so every creditor who pulls a report sees a notice that you have an initial alert (1‑year duration) unless you request an extended alert (7‑year duration). They send a written confirmation to the address on file and, if needed, may ask for additional proof of identity before the alert goes live.

Once the alert is active, Experian flags any new credit inquiries, logs them in a separate alert history, and notifies you of suspicious activity. You can also request a free credit freeze at this point, which Experian will place on your file. For detailed steps on how the alert works, see the Experian fraud alert guide, and then move on to tracking the activity in the next section.

Monitor your Experian fraud alert credit report daily and act immediately on any unknown inquiry, account, or personal‑information change. Use Experian's online portal to flag the entry, note the date, and capture screenshots for evidence; this builds a clear timeline for any dispute.

If you spot fraud, open a dispute with Experian, contact the affected creditor, and file a police report or an Identity Theft Report Learn how Experian handles alerts. Consider upgrading the initial alert (1‑year) to an extended alert (7‑year) if the breach proves serious, and place a credit freeze to stop further accounts from opening without your explicit permission.

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While an Experian fraud alert is active, lenders receive a notice that you have flagged your file. They must verify your identity before approving any new credit, which often means a phone call, a copy of a photo ID, or a recent utility bill. This extra step can delay approval by a few days, and some lenders may decline the application if they cannot confirm you quickly.

When the alert is no longer in place - either after the 90‑day initial period ends or you upgrade to a seven‑year extended alert - lenders treat your file as normal. They no longer receive the fraud‑alert flag, so credit decisions proceed without the additional verification step. However, if you upgraded to an extended alert, the same verification requirements apply for the full seven years.

Upgrade to an extended Experian fraud alert by providing proof that identity theft occurred; Experian will replace your 90‑day initial alert with a 7‑year extended alert.

Acceptable proof includes a police‑report number, an FTC Identity Theft Report, or a court order. Call Experian's fraud‑alert line (1‑877‑397‑3742), mention you want an extended alert, and be ready to read the document numbers or fax a copy. Once verified, Experian confirms the upgrade and the extended alert automatically applies to all future credit checks for the next seven years.

Extra proof isn't part of the routine workflow; Experian only asks for it in a handful of edge cases. The most common trigger is an upgrade to an extended alert, which requires a police report or an FTC Identity Theft Report.

A second trigger occurs when you've changed your legal name after the theft - Experian may request a marriage certificate, divorce decree, or court order to match the new name to your existing identity data. A third scenario is when you're disputing a specific fraudulent account; Experian may ask for documentation such as a settlement letter or proof of payment to close that account, but this does not affect the alert itself.

In the extended‑alert case, provide the official report (for example, a copy of the police report or the FTC Identity Theft Report) along with the standard name, address, SSN, and government‑issued ID.

For a name‑change request, attach the legal document that proves the new name and then submit the usual identification. When disputing a fraudulent account, include any creditor‑issued letters that show the account has been resolved; Experian uses these only to clear the specific entry, not to lift the alert.

For a standard initial alert (1‑year), a routine renewal, or any removal - even early removal - Experian sticks to the basic identity verification and never asks for settlement letters or proof that the theft is 'resolved.' This keeps the process quick and avoids unnecessary paperwork before you move on to the next step of removing or renewing the alert.

Remove an Experian fraud alert by calling 1‑800‑397‑3742, logging into your Experian.com account, or mailing a signed request to Experian's fraud‑alert department; the alert automatically ends after its 1‑year (initial alert) or 7‑year (extended alert) term if you do nothing.

To renew, contact the same channels before the expiration date and request to upgrade the initial alert to an extended alert - Experian may require a police report or an FTC Identity Theft Report as proof of identity theft. After removal, continue monitoring your credit reports as described in the 'track suspicious activity' section.