We are temporarily unable to obtain the status of your security freeze

Why is Equifax showing the error we are temporarily unable to obtain the status of your security freeze?

We are temporarily unable to obtain the status of your security freeze is an Equifax error message that shows when attempting to view your credit freeze status within myEquifax. It will likely take action to resolve by filing a CFPB complaint or by contacting Equifax directly.

Most Common Fix

If you see this error, a linking issue is preventing your myEquifax account from seeing your security freeze status tied to your identity.

The most common solution is to review your Equifax credit report and check for inaccuracies. The most common cause of this error is an inaccurate current address at Equifax. Your current address history is located toward the end of your Equifax credit report under a section titled “Contact Information.” Check that all your banking, credit card, and financial relationships have your correct address on file, and ask them to report your address to Equifax.

If you see inaccurate information, you can also file a dispute with myEquifax to fix the data.

Why does this work? myEquifax accounts and the Equifax main database (the source of truth for all Equifax credit records) are two different systems. If your primary address recorded in myEquifax conflicts with the main database, you may be blocked from toggling a credit freeze.

Other Options

Signing up for Equifax’s lock and alert product is an alternative solution. Although the sign-in page looks the same, it’s a totally different login than myEquifax uses. If you can create an account, Equifax’s lock and alert will be able to remove the freeze from your credit report and replace it with a “lock.” Remember that a lock and a freeze are not the same thing. A freeze is more restrictive and supported by the US government. Therefore, we don’t recommend signing up for Equifax’s lock and alert product as a permanent fix. You should still aim to use myEquifax for the best identity theft protection.
If you do not care about fixing the error within myEquifax and simply want to toggle your credit freeze, there’s a small, ~10% chance Equifax’s phone system will work. The phone system will walk you through entering your social security number and other identity data, and can freeze and unfreeze your credit without talking with a live agent.
File a CFPB (Consumer Finance Protection Bureau) complaint. There are reports online of the credit bureaus quickly acting to solve credit freeze account issues after a CFPB complaint is filed. The CFPB is a United States government bureau that regulates the US finance industry, including the credit bureaus.
Send physical mail to verify your identity and request a credit freeze or thaw.
Do nothing and wait for the error to go away.

Wrap Up

If you can’t resolve your we are temporarily unable to obtain the status of your security freeze problem yourself, you may need to call Equifax for help. You can reach Equifax’s customer care team at 1-888-EQUIFAX (1-888-378-4329) and can find the operating hours on the Equifax website.

Whatever you do, know that you do not need to pay Equifax any money to fix the problem. If you contact support, there’s a chance an agent may try to cross-sell you into a different Equifax credit product.

Links to additional documentation to fix Equifax not working: