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To check your credit reports for mortgage fraud or identity theft, get the current reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion for free through AnnualCreditReport.com, then look for unfamiliar mortgage accounts, hard inquiries, balances, names, and addresses. If you find a suspicious account, contact the lender, report the theft at IdentityTheft.gov and to local police, place a fraud alert or freezes, and request that the bureaus block the fraudulent information.
This guide applies to U.S. consumers and uses the official access and recovery rules available in November 2026. A mortgage, refinance, or home-equity line that you never requested deserves the same urgent response as any other identity-theft account.
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The fastest official route is AnnualCreditReport.com. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says you can view a free report from each of the three nationwide reporting companies online once a week. On one visit, you can choose Equifax, Experian, TransUnion, or all three; for a mortgage-fraud check, request all three because each company maintains a separate file. A mortgage inquiry or account can appear on one report and not the others.
- Online: Type AnnualCreditReport.com into your browser yourself rather than clicking an advertisement or an unfamiliar “free report” link. Lookalike sites exist, and you should not have to pay to see your own report.
- By phone: Call (877) 322-8228.
- By mail: Download and complete the Annual Credit Report Request form and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
The CFPB also describes a separate right to one free report from each company every 12 months. Its current weekly-access language specifically describes online viewing at AnnualCreditReport.com; do not assume that a phone or mail order follows the same weekly schedule.
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When can I get extra free reports?
You may qualify for copies beyond the normal access described above. The CFPB lists these situations:
- You received an adverse-action notice for credit, insurance, employment, or a similar decision based on a report. Request the free report from the company named in the notice within 60 days.
- You believe your file is inaccurate because of fraud.
- You requested a report in connection with an initial fraud alert, or two reports in connection with an extended fraud alert.
The CFPB’s identity-theft guidance says an initial fraud alert gives you one additional free report from each nationwide company, and those copies do not count as your annual reports. An extended alert gives you two free copies from each company during a 12-month period. An extended alert also removes your name from prescreened credit and insurance marketing lists for five years. Law-firm sources consistently describe an extended alert as lasting seven years for identity-theft victims who have an IdentityTheft.gov report; treat that duration as secondary guidance rather than an FTC quotation.
How can I spot identity theft on a mortgage credit report?
Start with the CFPB’s practical checklist: unfamiliar inquiries, accounts you did not open, and amounts that are wrong. Apply those checks specifically to mortgage-related entries, then inspect the personal-identification section and your financial statements.
Review every mortgage-related section
- Mortgage, refinance, or home-equity accounts: Check the lender name, opening date, original amount, current balance, payment history, and property or mailing address. A loan you never applied for is an account you did not open.
- Hard inquiries: A mortgage lender’s inquiry that you never authorized is a warning sign. Record the company name and date before contacting it.
- Balances and payment history: Look for a balance that is not yours, late payments on an account you never opened, or a loan that should show a zero balance but does not.
- Names, addresses, and Social Security number details: An unfamiliar name or address can indicate a mixed file or an application made with your information. An address you never used is particularly relevant to a mortgage application.
- Unexpected status information: A deceased notation, no score when you normally have one, or another major profile change can indicate file-mixing or misuse.
The CFPB also recommends reading statements from banks, credit unions, and card companies. Thieves may begin with a small charge or withdrawal and return later if it is not noticed. Do not ignore a debt collector calling about a debt you never borrowed, or a bill from a company you do not recognize; contact the creditor and consider a CFPB complaint about credit reporting or debt collection.
How to check if someone took a loan in your name, for free
Use all three reports, not a single score-monitoring screen. A free report shows the tradeline and inquiry details needed to determine whether a mortgage, refinance, or home-equity loan is connected to you.
- Download or view all three reports. Save a PDF or print each report, noting the date accessed.
- Search for housing-finance terms. Look for “mortgage,” “home equity,” “HELOC,” “refinance,” lender names, servicing companies, and inquiries from mortgage businesses.
- Compare the three files. Record which bureau reports the item, the account number’s last digits, dates, balances, property address, and payment status. Differences do not automatically prove fraud because the files are maintained separately.
- Rule out ordinary explanations. An authorized-user account, a former spouse’s account, or a loan sold or transferred to a new lender or collector can produce an unfamiliar name. Call the original lender or servicer using contact information from a trusted statement or its official website, not a number supplied by a suspicious caller.
- Check bank and property records. Match the report against your statements and mortgage paperwork. If the report shows a property address you never used, preserve that page as evidence.
- Act immediately if the account remains unexplained. Do not wait for another statement or another report cycle before contacting the lender and starting the identity-theft process.
Do not treat a legitimate lender’s soft inquiry, an account transfer, or an authorized-user relationship as identity theft without checking. If the account is yours but has a wrong balance, late payment, or other reporting error, use the ordinary dispute process with the bureau and the company that furnished the information.
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What is the difference between a fraud alert and a credit freeze?
Both tools are free, but they solve different problems. A fraud alert keeps your report available while asking lenders to verify your identity; a freeze restricts most new lenders from accessing your report and is the stronger barrier against newly opened credit.
| Feature | Fraud alert | Credit freeze |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Alerts lenders to verify your identity before granting new credit. | Blocks new creditors from accessing your report while the freeze is active; the FTC guide says nobody can open a new credit account in your name while it is in place. |
| Where you start | Contact one bureau; it must notify the other two. | Place the freeze separately with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. |
| Cost | Free. | Free to place, lift, and remove. |
| Duration | The FTC describes an initial alert as one year. TransUnion also describes its initial alert as lasting one year. | Until you lift or remove it. |
| Access to existing accounts | The report remains accessible, with an identity-verification signal. | Existing creditors can still see your file; a freeze does not erase an account already reporting. |
| Applying for a legitimate mortgage | Tell the lender about the alert and be ready for extra verification. | Temporarily lift the freeze at the bureau the lender will use, for the dates needed, then let it return automatically if that option is offered. |
The FTC’s Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts guide is the primary summary of these distinctions. A freeze does not change your credit score and you can still obtain your own reports, according to secondary legal guidance; those points are not quoted here as CFPB language.
Is my credit frozen?
There is no single nationwide dashboard that reliably shows all three statuses. Check each bureau through its current security-freeze page or account, and confirm the contact details on the bureau’s live site before entering personal information.
The FTC’s January 2025 guide lists these starting points:
- Equifax: Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services or 800-685-1111.
- Experian: Experian.com/help or 888-397-3742.
- TransUnion: TransUnion.com/credit-help or 888-909-8872.
Other published pages show different phone numbers for some tasks: Equifax materials mention 1-888-378-4329 for an initial or active-duty alert, while a NerdWallet freeze-status guide lists 888-298-0045 for Equifax and 800-916-8800 for TransUnion. Because numbers can vary by product and change over time, use the FTC list as a starting point and verify the number on the bureau’s live page before calling.
If you are about to apply for a real mortgage, ask the lender which bureau it will pull and whether it uses one or multiple reports. Lift the freeze at the required bureau or bureaus before the lender runs credit. A freeze protects against new accounts; it does not remove a fraudulent mortgage already appearing on a report.
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What do I do if I am a victim of identity theft?
Move in a documented sequence. The CFPB recommends closing compromised accounts, reporting the theft to local police and IdentityTheft.gov, placing alerts or freezes, and protecting your credit history and finances.
- Contact the mortgage lender or servicer’s fraud department. State that you did not apply for or authorize the loan. Ask it to flag the account, stop collection activity while it investigates, and tell you what documents it requires. Use a trusted phone number and keep the representative’s name, date, and case number.
- File at IdentityTheft.gov and with local police. Save the identity-theft report, police report, confirmation numbers, and every attachment. The FTC guide also directs people whose information was used to open an account or make a purchase to IdentityTheft.gov.
- Place a fraud alert and freezes. An initial alert can start with one bureau, which must notify the other two. A freeze must be placed separately at all three. You can use both: the alert signals lenders, while freezes restrict access for new-credit applications.
- Request a block from each bureau reporting the fraudulent account. TransUnion says its process requires an FTC identity-theft report or police report, proof of identity, and a letter identifying the fraudulent information. Send equivalent documentation to every bureau that lists the account, following that bureau’s current instructions.
- Ask the business for records. In written requests accompanied by your identity-theft report, ask for the application and transaction records connected with the account. The Kim Law Firm states that a business generally has to provide those records within 30 days; this is secondary legal guidance, not a quoted statute in the sources used here.
- Track the response. Keep copies, delivery confirmations, report versions, dates, and dispute results. Kim’s 2026 legal explanation says a bureau should block qualifying fraudulent information within four business days after receiving the identity-theft report, proof of identity, and a statement identifying the item. Treat that timing as legal-source guidance and follow the bureau’s current instructions.
After a bureau tells a furnisher that information resulted from identity theft, the furnisher is expected to have procedures to stop reporting it again. If the account is not fraudulent but contains a wrong balance or payment history, file a conventional dispute with both the bureau and the furnisher instead of relying only on the identity-theft block route.
How do I dispute a mortgage account that is not mine?
Use the identity-theft block process when you never opened the account; use a normal dispute for an account that is yours but reported inaccurately. Mixing the two can delay the right remedy.
Your written packet should identify the account precisely, explain that you did not open or authorize it, and include copies—not originals—of your government identification, proof of address when requested, IdentityTheft.gov or police documentation, and the report page showing the account. Send the request to every bureau that reports the item and separately notify the lender or servicer that supplied it.
Ask for written confirmation of the result and obtain updated reports after the investigation. If the item remains, read the explanation carefully: it may have been verified under a different name, transferred to another furnisher, or rejected because documentation was incomplete. Correct the missing piece and resubmit, preserving the previous correspondence. You can also submit a complaint to the CFPB about credit reporting or debt collection.
What if the fraud involves a specialty reporting company?
IdentityTheft.gov notes that companies other than the three nationwide bureaus may prepare reports for employers, insurers, landlords, or other businesses. You have a right to review that information and dispute errors, although a specialty company may charge a fee.
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For a first mortgage, refinance, or home-equity tradeline, begin with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If a lender says its decision relied on another consumer-reporting company, ask for that company’s name and the adverse-action notice. Request the report directly from the named company and follow its dispute instructions; do not assume that a free-report rule or phone number for one bureau applies to another.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should I protect a legitimate mortgage application after a freeze?
Plan the lift before the lender orders credit. Ask which bureau or bureaus it will use, whether it will pull again during underwriting, and how long the temporary lift should remain open.
- Confirm that your name, address, and Social Security number are correct on all three reports before applying.
- Ask the lender for the exact bureau names and the date range for the credit pull.
- Log in to each relevant bureau’s official freeze-management page and schedule a temporary lift when available.
- Give the lender the lift confirmation or instructions it requests, but do not disclose passwords or one-time codes.
- After the pull, verify that the freeze has returned or manually replace it. Keep the confirmation for your records.
A fraud alert can remain in place during a legitimate application, but expect identity-verification questions or a call from the lender. An alert does not itself block the lender from seeing your report.
How do I avoid fake “free credit report” offers?
Use the official channels above and type the address yourself. You do not need to buy monitoring to view the reports, place a fraud alert, or freeze your credit.
- Do not enter a Social Security number or card number on a page reached through an unsolicited advertisement, text, or email.
- Be wary of a site that requires payment for the report itself or automatically enrolls you in monitoring you did not request.
- Save the URL and confirmation page you used, especially if you place a freeze or alert.
- Do not give a caller remote access to your computer or ask you to move money to “protect” it. Contact the lender or bureau through a verified channel instead.
Paid monitoring products are optional. They do not replace the official reports, the free fraud-alert process, the free freezes, or the identity-theft block procedure.
What should you do after the first review?
Set a repeat schedule that fits your risk. Weekly online access is available now, so someone actively investigating a suspected mortgage application can review all three reports again after a dispute or lender response. Keep the initial copies, later versions, and a timeline together; changes in balances, status codes, or inquiry dates can show whether the correction actually propagated.
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Continue reading bank and mortgage statements and respond to unfamiliar collection calls. If a creditor confirms that the account is legitimate but the report is wrong, pursue the ordinary dispute route. If new accounts appear, update IdentityTheft.gov, notify the lender, and extend your documentation rather than assuming the first fraudulent account was isolated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a mortgage lender see my report while my credit is frozen?
A lender generally needs you to lift the freeze before it can access the frozen report for a new application. Existing creditors and you can still access the file under the rules described by the FTC and secondary legal guidance, so a freeze does not stop an existing mortgage from reporting.
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Ask the original lender or servicer for a written transfer explanation and compare the original account number, opening date, and balance with the new entry. A sold or transferred loan can display a new company name; if the underlying application is not yours, treat it as identity theft even if servicing changed.
What evidence should I keep when disputing a fraudulent mortgage?
Keep dated copies of every report page, lender letter, IdentityTheft.gov report, police report, identity documents sent, delivery confirmation, and call log. Record case numbers and the exact bureau or lender response so you can show what was submitted and when.
Can I request another report after placing a fraud alert?
Yes. The CFPB says an initial alert allows one additional free report from each nationwide company, and an extended alert allows two from each company during a 12-month period. Those alert-related copies are separate from the ordinary annual-report right.
