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My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit first?

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striders
Valued Member

My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit first?

I have freezed all my credit reports (3 bureaus) for years. From my experience, no one can apply for credit or creditor cannot do an inquiry without me unfreezing the credit. I actually have a number of occasions where I applied for a credit card and the bank asked me to call them. Then they said my credit is frozen and I have to unfreeze it first. I unfreeze it and put the end date so the freeze will be reactivated.

 

A few days back, I applied for an apartment and I forgot to unfreeze my credit. The leasing agent was able to pull my credit from TransUnion and a hard inquiry was placed WITHOUT me unfreezing my TU credit first.

 

This is not a fraud because I was the one applying, but I thought credit freeze was supposed to stop inquiry until I unfreeze it?

Message 1 of 9
8 REPLIES 8
rooeez
Regular Contributor

Re: My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit fir

You would think. Similar thing happened to me. With my credit union I was planning to apply for a loan. I got an auto-reject because I had forgot to unfreeze my reports. I subsequently decided to not apply and left it until I got an alert of the hard inquiry. I got another hard inquiry a month later when it tried to repull my report (I didn't cancel the application). I called the CSR and they said it shouldn't be a hard inquiry since they couldn't pull the report, but both are still on my report.


| TCL = $360,850 | TU FICO 8: 790| EX FICO 8: 792| EQ FICO 8: 794|
Message 2 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit fir

Did you do a freeze or an extended fraud alert?

Message 3 of 9
striders
Valued Member

Re: My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit fir

It’s a freeze.


@Anonymous wrote:

Did you do a freeze or an extended fraud alert?


 

Message 4 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit fir

Call TU. Shouldn’t have happened. 

Message 5 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit fir

Agreed should not have happened
Message 6 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit fir


@Anonymous wrote:
I think rentals are exempted.

From the FTC:

 

A credit freeze does not:

 

  • keep you from opening a new account, applying for a job, renting an apartment, or buying insurance. But if you’re doing any of these, you’ll need to lift the freeze temporarily, either for a specific time or for a specific party, say, a potential landlord or employer. It’s free to lift the freeze and free to place it again when you’re done accessing your credit.  

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs

 

So you definitely should have to lift the freeze when hunting for an apartment. 

Message 7 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit fir

@ Saeren you beat me to it I went straight to the FTC and looked it up and then came back and corrected it
Message 8 of 9
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: My credit are frozen but creditor can still do hard inquiry WITHOUT me unfreezing the credit fir


@Anonymous wrote:
@ Saeren you beat me to it I went straight to the FTC and looked it up and then came back and corrected it

I’m like a ninja 🤣 

Message 9 of 9
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