Freeze Your Credit: A Shield Against Fraud

Описание: Freeze Your Credit: A Shield Against Fraud #experian #equifax #transunion

OUTLINE:
00:00:00
Freeze Your Credit: A Shield Against Fraud

How Can You Protect Your Credit?
Freezing your credit
A credit freeze (or security freeze) is a free way to limit who can see your credit report. If you’re worried about someone using your credit without permission — like an identity thief or a hacker after a data breach you might want to place a freeze on your credit report. A freeze makes it harder for someone else to open new accounts in your name. It also means you’ll need to temporarily lift the freeze if you apply for credit, since many banks and lenders do a credit check before approving new accounts.

Some things to keep in mind about credit freezes:

freeze out fraud

A credit freeze does not affect your credit score.
With a credit freeze in place, you can still
get your free annual credit report
open a new account. To open one, just lift the freeze temporarily. It's free to lift the freeze. You can place it again when you no longer need lenders to see your credit.
apply for a job, rent an apartment, or buy insurance. The freeze doesn't apply to these actions, so you don't need to lift it.
TIP: Even with a credit freeze, a thief can make charges on your existing accounts. You still need to monitor your bank, credit card, and insurance statements for charges or changes you didn’t authorize.

To place a free credit freeze on your credit report, contact each of the three nationwide credit bureaus:

Equifax

Equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

1-800-685-1111

Experian

Experian.com/help

1-888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742)

Transunion

TransUnion.com/credit-help

1-888-909-8872

If you ask for a freeze online or by phone, the credit bureaus must place the freeze within one business day. They also have to lift the freeze within one hour. If you make the request by mail, the credit bureau must place or lift the freeze within three business days. Remember that you have to contact all three bureaus. For more on credit freezes, read What To Know About Credit Freezes and Fraud Alerts.