Identity Theft Block Request

The strongest remedy in the Fair Credit Reporting Act — and the one with criminal consequences for misuse. For accounts you genuinely did not open.

Free template Legal basis: FCRA § 605B (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2) Updated
Before you use this

What it does: When you submit an identity theft report along with proof of identity and identification of the information, the credit bureau must block that information from your file within four business days and notify the furnisher.

When to use it: Only when an account, inquiry, or collection on your report resulted from identity theft — an account you did not open and did not authorize anyone else to open.

What it cannot do: It cannot be used on a debt that is yours. A block obtained by a false statement can be rescinded, and filing a false identity theft report with a federal agency or the police is a crime.

Read this before using an identity theft block

The identity theft block under FCRA § 605B (15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2) is powerful: when you submit an identity theft report and proof of identity, the credit bureau must block the disputed information within four business days.

That power is exactly why it is protected. Filing a false identity theft report with the FTC or with a law enforcement agency is a federal crime. Making a materially false statement to a federal agency is punishable under 18 U.S.C. § 1001 by fines and up to five years in prison, and false police reports carry criminal penalties in every state.

Use § 605B only for accounts that you genuinely did not open or authorize. Never use it to try to remove a debt that is yours. If the debt is yours and the reporting is accurate, this is the wrong tool and using it is not a gray area.

How this works here

This is a free template you may adapt and send yourself. HomeBuyers Alliance does not send it for you, does not review your file, and does not charge for it. A template is a starting point — the facts you add are what matters, and inaccurate statements in a dispute can carry consequences.

Do these three things first

The letter is the last step, not the first. Section 605B requires an identity theft report, and without one the bureau has nothing to act on.

1. File an FTC identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov. It is free, it takes about fifteen minutes, and it produces an FTC Identity Theft Report — the document § 605B is written around. Print it and keep it.

2. Consider a police report. Some furnishers and some states expect one, and it strengthens the file. Bring your FTC report with you.

3. Place a fraud alert or a credit freeze. A fraud alert under § 605A is free, lasts one year, and requires creditors to take extra steps to verify identity before opening new accounts. A freeze is stronger — it blocks new accounts entirely until you lift it — and it is also free at all three bureaus. Do this before the accounts multiply.

Then send the letter below to each bureau reporting the fraudulent information.

What to enclose

§ 605B requires three things: an identity theft report, proof of your identity, and identification of the information you want blocked. All three must be in the envelope, or the four-business-day clock does not start. Send copies of your ID and proof of address — never originals.

§ 605B block request — one letter per bureau
[YOUR FULL NAME] [YOUR STREET ADDRESS] [CITY, STATE ZIP] [DATE] [BUREAU NAME] [BUREAU FRAUD DEPARTMENT ADDRESS] Re: Request to block information resulting from identity theft Date of birth: [YOUR DATE OF BIRTH] Last four of SSN: [XXXX] FTC Identity Theft Report number: [REPORT NUMBER] To whom it may concern: I am a victim of identity theft. I am requesting that you block the information identified below from my credit file under Section 605B of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1681c-2. The information below does not relate to any transaction I made or authorized. Information to be blocked: Creditor or furnisher name: [NAME AS IT APPEARS ON THE REPORT] Account number as reported: [PARTIAL ACCOUNT NUMBER FROM THE REPORT] Type of item: [ACCOUNT / COLLECTION / INQUIRY] Date opened as reported: [DATE] Amount as reported: [AMOUNT] [REPEAT THE BLOCK ABOVE FOR EACH FRAUDULENT ITEM.] I did not open this account, did not authorize anyone else to open it, and received no goods, services, or money from it. Enclosed, as required by Section 605B(a): 1. My FTC Identity Theft Report [AND POLICE REPORT NUMBER, IF FILED]. 2. Proof of my identity: [COPY OF DRIVER'S LICENSE OR OTHER GOVERNMENT ID] and [COPY OF A UTILITY BILL OR BANK STATEMENT SHOWING MY ADDRESS]. 3. This letter, identifying the information to be blocked. I understand that under Section 605B you must block this information no later than four business days after receiving this request, and must promptly notify the furnisher that the information may be the result of identity theft. Please confirm the block in writing and send me an updated copy of my credit report. Sincerely, [SIGN HERE] [YOUR PRINTED NAME] Enclosures: [NUMBER] items

Also write to the furnisher

Separately from the bureaus, write to the company that reported the account. Under FCRA § 623 they have their own obligations once notified that information may result from identity theft, and a furnisher that stops reporting is a more durable fix than a bureau-side block.

Use the same letter with the addressee changed, and enclose the same documents.

What happens next

The bureau must block the information within four business days of receiving a compliant request, and must notify the furnisher.

A block is not permanently guaranteed. The bureau may decline or rescind it if it reasonably determines the request was made in error or on the basis of a material misrepresentation, or if you obtained goods, services, or money as a result of the transaction. If that happens, you are notified.

If the bureau does not act, escalate: request written reasons, file a complaint with the CFPB, and keep every piece of correspondence.

If it is not identity theft

If the account is genuinely yours and the reporting is wrong in some other way — a wrong balance, a wrong date, a duplicate — that is a § 611 dispute, and the right tool is the credit bureau dispute letter.

If a collector is contacting you about a debt you do not recognise but you are not certain fraud is involved, start with the debt validation letter. It gets you the original creditor’s name and the amount in writing, which is usually what tells you which situation you are actually in.

Primary sources