Stanton Cope
Consumer Watchdog, Associate, U.S. PIRG Education Fund
Consumer Protection Week 2025: Freeze your credit report from all three bureaus in a half-hour online — we walk you through it
Media Contacts
Mark Morgenstein
Director of Media Relations, The Public Interest Network
[email protected]
New guide helps you take extra steps to protect yourself from bad guys as scams, fraud persist
CHICAGO – Con artists have more tools than ever before to steal your identity, open accounts in your name and wreak havoc on your finances. U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s new consumer guide will help you be one step ahead of them by showing you how to freeze your credit reports online in a matter of minutes.
“In the amount of time it takes to watch one episode of a TV show, I froze my credit report at all three bureaus,” said Stanton Cope, U.S. PIRG Education Fund Consumer Watchdog associate and author of the guide, ”Freezing your credit reports online: Step by step guide with screenshots.”
“I had no idea what a freeze was – let alone how easy it was to freeze my reports – before I took on this project,” he said.
Federal law guarantees that all credit bureaus must allow you to freeze your report for free. You don’t have to spend a penny to protect yourself from potential identity theft. It’s even easier to go back online and temporarily “thaw” your reports when you need to let a potential creditor access your credit history. With a login and the click of a button, your reports will be available if you need to apply for an apartment, take out a loan or apply for a credit card.
U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s new guide covers freezes at all three national credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. While some consumers pay attention to their reports from only one bureau, it’s important to freeze your report from all three.
“When you leave the house to go on a trip, you lock all points of entry: front door, back door, windows, you name it,” Cope said. “Freezing at only one bureau is like locking your front door but leaving the back door and side door wide open. You wouldn’t take that risk with your house. Why take it with your identity?”
All you’ll need is your email address, phone number, date of birth and Social Security number. Per the guide, freezing is free and if any website asks for payment information to freeze your report, it’s either a scam or you’re on the wrong page. So don’t pay.