Freezing Your Credit is Now Free

Posted on October 4th, 2018

Protect Yourself from Identity

Thanks to a new law one of the best ways to protect yourself from identity theft is now free. Freezing your credit keeps criminals from accessing your credit without your consent. It essentially blocks a lender from checking your credit report, which means a criminal would be unable to open a new account using your personal data.

In order to effectively freeze your credit, you’ll need to contact all three major credit bureaus. Each bureau has its own process, but generally you’ll need to provide your Social Security number, birthdate and other identifying information.

How to Contact the Three Main BureausTransUnion:
Visit TransUnion.com/credit freeze. Transunion encourages you to add the freeze online, so it takes effect sooner. They also offers a free mobile app called myTransUnion which is available in the Google Play and Apple App stores.

Equifax: Visit www.Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/  or call their automated line at 800-685-1111.

Experian: Visit www.Experian.com/freeze or call 1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742)

Two things to keep in mind after you freeze your credit. It is still important to watch for fraudulent activity. Also, you will have the ability to lift the freeze when you are ready to apply for a loan using a special personal identification number PIN that you set up with the bureaus.