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An active-duty alert is a notice that eligible service members have the right to add to their credit reports. These alerts instruct lenders to verify the applicant's identity before processing loans or credit applications made in the service member's name.
How Does an Active-Duty Alert Work?
An active-duty alert is a special kind of fraud alert that can help safeguard your credit if you're a member of the U.S. military on active military duty. It can help prevent criminals from using your personal information to obtain loans or credit cards in your name.
An active-duty fraud alert performs two functions:
- Adds a notice to your credit report: The notice placed on your credit reports informs lenders that you are an active-duty member of the military and instructs them to verify your identity before processing credit applications received in your name. You can provide a phone number for use in identity verification if you like.
- Pauses prescreened offers: An active-duty alert also removes your name from marketing lists for prescreened credit and financial offers for two years. This means you won't receive these offers in the mail, helping further protect you from criminal abuse and fraud. You can opt back in to preapproved credit offers at any time.
An active-duty alert remains in place for one year, but you can renew it if you wish.
How to Set Up an Active-Duty Alert
When you request an active-duty alert at any of the three national credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion or Equifax), that bureau must notify the other bureaus to set up alerts.
Here's how to place an active-duty alert with Experian:
- Gather the required credentials. You'll need your current address and Social Security number.
- Visit the Experian Fraud Alert Center to add your alert.
- Provide personal details. Add the required details to complete the active-duty alert.
- Finalize request. Within a few days of submitting your request, you may receive notices from Experian and the other credit bureaus indicating they've placed active-duty alerts on the credit reports they maintain for you.
If you want to remove your alert before its expiration date, you can do so easily by returning to the Experian Fraud Alert Center. You'll request to remove the fraud alert and follow the instructions for submitting your request electronically or by postal mail. Note that you'll need to contact the other two credit bureaus, TransUnion and Equifax, separately to remove active-duty alerts on those credit reports.
To resume receiving prescreened credit offers before their two-year suspension is over, follow the instructions for opting in at the OptOutPrescreen.com or call the toll-free phone number, 888-567-8688, and ask to opt in.
Additional Tips to Protect Your Identity
Here are some other ways you can help protect your identity while on military assignment:
- Enroll in Experian IDnotify™. This is a free credit monitoring service for military personnel that provides alerts of key changes to your Experian credit report and lets you check your credit report every day.
- Freeze your credit. Consumers have the right to request a credit freeze, or security freeze, that restricts access to your credit report. (This contrasts with a fraud alert, which allows credit applications to be completed once your ID has been verified.) A credit freeze can help avoid criminal misuse of your credit, but it also blocks legitimate applications from going through unless you first lift the freeze, or "thaw" your credit. You must contact each national credit bureau separately to freeze or thaw the credit report it maintains about you.
- Set up bank account alerts. Use your financial institution's web dashboard or smartphone app to enable alerts about specific kinds of activity on your checking or savings accounts. Available options may depend on your bank or credit union, but you may be able to receive text or email notifications when your balance drops below a certain threshold; when withdrawals or ATM transactions exceed an amount you choose; or when your fraudulent activity is suspected on your account.
- Lock your credit and debit cards. If your card issuer allows you to lock your card, consider doing so to temporarily disable your credit and debit cards, especially if you expect they'll go unused for a long time. This prevents unauthorized transactions but doesn't interfere with any automatic payments you may have set up. When you want to use a locked card, you can unlock and relock the cards in a matter of seconds, via a phone app or web portal.
- Use strong passwords. Safeguard your credit account login information by choosing strong passwords and avoiding reusing passwords on multiple accounts. Consider using a free password manager to generate and store passwords for all of your accounts.
Steps to Take if You Become a Victim of Fraud
If you are a victim of identity theft or credit fraud, here are some steps you can take:
- Contact the company where the fraud occurred. Whether it's a new account opened using your personal information or bogus transactions made on an existing account, notify the relevant company immediately. They will let you know what they need from you to conduct a thorough fraud investigation.
- Report the identity theft. Consider filing a report with the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.org and making a complaint with your local police department. You can then send a copy of the report to your creditor to aid in their investigation. Keep the original on hand in case you need it in the future.
- Add a fraud alert to your credit report. If you've filed a fraud complaint with law enforcement, you can use a copy of your police report to place an extended fraud victim alert. An extended alert lasts for seven years and asks that the lender call you at one of two phone numbers you provide before extending credit or services in your name. If you suspect but haven't confirmed that you're an identity theft victim, consider placing an initial fraud alert on your credit reports. Like an active-duty report, it lasts for one year and notifies lenders to confirm your identity before processing new credit applications. It also informs lenders that your personal data may have been compromised and that someone may be using them fraudulently.
- Contact the appropriate credit bureau to dispute fraudulent information. Check your credit reports maintained by each of the three credit bureaus. If you find any fraudulent information, you have the right to dispute it. Each credit bureau has its own dispute process, but the quickest way to dispute information on your Experian credit report is to submit relevant information online at the Experian Dispute Center.
The Bottom Line
An active-duty alert can be a valuable tool for protecting service members from identity theft as they safeguard our freedoms. It is one of three types of fraud alerts consumers can place, including initial fraud alerts and extended fraud alerts. Even after your military service ends, fraud alerts are a tool you can use throughout your lifetime to better protect yourself from fraud and identity theft.