Place a precautionary freeze while you investigate

    A freeze costs nothing and blocks new accounts while you're still figuring out the picture.

    JDCS
    By Jordan Dickson · Reviewed by CSG Security Engineers

    Updated June 2026 · 1 min read

    Freezing your credit before you've fully investigated is a low-cost insurance policy — it stops new accounts being opened in the gap.

    No downside to freezing early

    Freezes can be temporarily lifted in minutes when you genuinely apply for credit. There's no good reason not to put one in place while you investigate.

    Was this guide helpful?

    Know someone who needs this? Send them the guide.

    JD

    Written by

    Jordan Dickson

    Founder, CyberSecurityGuides

    Founder of CyberSecurityGuides, writing practical, jargon-free guides that help everyday people recover from and protect against online attacks.

    Reviewed by CSG Security Engineers

    More from Identity Recovery

    No image

    Stop the next breach from hurting you

    Set up monitoring and unique credentials so future breaches don't cascade.

    No image

    Document the impersonation before reporting

    Build the evidence pack you'll need for police, banks and credit bureaus.

    No image

    Rotate breached passwords and re-secure those accounts

    Change passwords on every breached service plus anywhere you reused them.