Freezing your credit is the best way to prevent identity theft. When your credit is frozen, no business can check it, and therefore will not allow new accounts to be opened in your name. When you need to open a new account, buy a car or home you can unfreeze your credit for a specified period of time or for a specific lender. The credit bureaus offer apps to help with the locking and unlocking process.
To freeze your credit, you will need to contact all three of the nationwide credit bureaus:
Equifax
Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
800-685-1111Experian
Experian.com/help
888-397-3742Transunion
TransUnion.com/credit-help
888-909-8872
You will be asked to provide your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and other personal information.
After receiving your freeze request, each credit bureau will provide you with a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password. Keep the PIN or password in a safe place. You will need it when you need to lift the freeze. If you lose the pin it will take a few weeks to unfreeze your credit. FAQs…