Credit Freezes – Should you do this?

We’ve all heard about security breaches. It could be that you are tired of hearing about them and still have not done anything to help protect yourself. The Federal Trade Commission reported that there were law changes in 2018 about credit freeze making them free.

Free credit freezes

•  A credit freeze restricts access to your credit file, making it harder for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name.
• You will get a PIN to use in order to open the file (DO NOT LOSE).
• Credit freezes used to involve fees. Now it is free to freeze and unfreeze your credit file.
• Child credit freezes
  • This allows you to freeze a child’s credit file until the child is old enough to use credit.
  • No matter where you live you can get a free credit freeze for a child under the age of 16.

How to freeze and unfreeze:

1. Contact each credit bureau: Transunion, Experian, and Equifax
2. Create a free account
3. Complete the form required by each bureau
4. Put your PIN and password for each bureau in a safe place
5. Remember to unfreeze your reports when applying for credit

Additional resources:

To get a free copy of your credit report go to www.annualcreditreport.com [annualcreditreport.com] which is a Federal Trade Commission website. You can also check out www.IdentityTheft.gov [identitytheft.gov]  if you have been a victim of identity theft.