It seems like every week we are hearing of another data breech or consumer scam. While there are several companies that offer to protect your credit for a fee, there is a completely free way to protect yourself: a credit freeze. A credit freeze blocks access to your credit reports, protecting against scammers’ attempts to access your credit reports and open fraudulent accounts.
In order to place a credit freeze, you need to work with all three credit bureaus. Below is the contact information for these credit bureaus:
Equifax
https://www.equifax.com/personal/
Experian
https://www.experian.com/
TransUnion
https://www.transunion.com/
The credit bureaus have to place the freeze within one business day when requested online or by phone. You will have to provide your social security number along with some other personal information to set up the freeze.
Credit freezes do not expire. If you apply for credit after you set up your freeze, you will need to “thaw” your freeze with one of the credit bureaus chosen by the company you are applying to. This is easy to do through your online account.
Placing a credit freeze can give you peace of mind during these uncertain times.