The best action to protect yourself from identity theft is also one of the easiest things to do: Freeze your credit.
Freezing credit prevents identity theft because the purpose of such theft is usually to open credit in the victim’s name. Under a credit freeze, even if a thief can obtain information like your social security number, they’ll be declined when they attempt to open new credit accounts in your name.
Freezing credit is easy and free, but for full protection, you’ll need to freeze it at each of the three credit bureaus. You can make the request online or via mail. Each spouse must complete the process at each credit bureau in order to protect both of them.
Equifax – https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
Transunion – https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
Experian – https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
Parents and guardians can freeze credit for any child under the age of 16. If you do request a credit freeze for your child, the credit bureau will first have to create a credit file for him or her and then freeze it. In addition to supplying the same information required for an adult credit freeze (Social Security number, date of birth, address), you may also need the child’s birth certificate and proof that you have authority to freeze their credit.
Of course, sometimes you’ll need to access your credit. When this happens, you can request a “thaw,” which requires you to provide the PIN you set up when you froze your credit or to log in to the account you set up with the credit bureaus. Once you do so, your credit will become available for a specified amount of time (or indefinitely, depending on which you choose).
Although freezing your credit will keep people from opening new accounts in your name, it won’t keep people from making charges on your current credit cards. Therefore, we recommend reviewing every statement you receive carefully to check for charges you didn’t make. Credit monitoring systems are reactive, meaning that information only presents itself if something has already happened. Therefore, we recommend a credit freeze in addition to credit monitoring. However, if you’re trying to decide between the two options, our top recommendation is that you freeze your credit, as that’s the most proactive way to avoid identity theft.
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