You should do everything you can to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud. Freezing your credit will help for the following reasons:
✅ Prevent Unauthorized Credit Accounts
When your credit is frozen, creditors cannot access your credit report. That means no one (including identity thieves) can open new credit accounts in your name unless you specifically unfreeze it.
✅ Protect Yourself After a Data Breach
Who hasn’t received notice that they may have been involved in a data breach? If your personal data has been exposed, then freezing your credit helps prevent that information from being used maliciously.
✅ It’s Free and Doesn’t Affect Your Score
Thanks to federal law, freezing and unfreezing your credit is free in the U.S. It also does not impact your credit score in any way.
✅ Peace of Mind
If you’re not planning to apply for new credit (loan, mortgage, credit card) anytime soon, freezing your credit provides peace of mind that your identity is locked down.
Freezing your credit only takes a few minutes and unfreezing it when you need to for new credit purposes is a simple process via online account management. To get started, go to the three major credit bureaus’ websites here:
Let me know if you have any questions.
