Sometimes people confuse matters between a fraud alert on their credit report and a security freeze.  A fraud alert is an alert that you put on your credit report when you suspect that you might be a victim of identity theft and subsequently credit fraud.  And extended fraud alert also known as a fraud victims statement can be attached to the credit report after you provide proof of your identity and evidence of being a victim of identity theft which is usually a copy of a police report or any other valid identity theft report.  The initial security alert on your credit report lasts for a period of 90 days after which you can place the extended fraud alert which lasts for a period of seven years on your credit report.  The statement appears on your credit report every time a lender requests to view it.  It requires the lender to take measures and precautions to verify the identity of the applicant before granting credit in your name.  In order to remove the alert from your credit report you need to provide the request in writing along with documents that verify your identity.  These documents are required to ensure that an identity chief is not trying to remove the statement from a credit report.

A security freeze is allowed by certain states to be put on the credit report.  Unlike a fraud alert the security freeze restricts reviewing of your credit history by the lenders.  On the you and perhaps your existing lenders will be able to view your credit report.  Existing lenders are allowed access to the credit report for the purpose of updating and maintaining the credit accounts that you already have the time.  A security freeze will in no way and affair with your credit rating or with accessing your own personal copy of the credit report.  Our security freeze basically takes you of the credit market where no new lender or creditor can you hear credit report.  This includes preapproved credit of those such as credit cards and loans.  In order to remove the security freeze you will require a pin number that will be provided to you during the time of peace in the security freeze.  You should remember to unfreeze your credit history before applying for any credit a service that may require to access your credit report before approving your application.  This situation includes opening a new mobile phone account of applying for a job.  If you do not unfreeze your credit report in advance the business will be unable to check your credit history and thus be unable to approve your application.