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How to Freeze Your Credit Report
Although Mr. Freeze was a lame Batman villain, you can now use chilling powers for financial good.
As Ron pointed out a couple of months ago, putting a security freeze on your credit report prevents new creditors from accessing your credit file without your permission. Credit freezes used to only be available in certain states, but now all three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) will let you freeze your credit report regardless of where you live in the U.S.
Why would you want to put on the big chill? Security freezes are a frosty blast against identity theft, since they keep prying eyes away from your information. If villains try to open a new account in your name, they’re stopped before they can start because your report is wrapped in a cryogenic suit that only you can take off.
The downside? You have to deal with setting up the security freeze at all three bureaus, send things in by certified mail, keep track of passwords and remember to unfreeze your report if you’re applying for a new loan. Unfortunately, no service exists yet that can thaw your credit freeze with one phone call. That means you — and you alone — have to manage your security freezes at all three credit-reporting agencies. It’s a pain, but we’ve tried to help by putting links down below to credit-freeze instructions at each of the big three (they’re not always easy to find on the companies’ sites).
Hopefully this will make for a safer Gotham.
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OUT OF LEFT FIELD:
Remember when Arnold Schwarzenegger played Mr. Freeze in the Batman movie? You know what I never understood–Before the accident, he was Dr. Fries–after the accident he is Mr. Freeze. Why the demotion?? Usually supervillans have delusions of granduer.
Although, now he is Governor of California…I guess he was just biding his time. Pure Evil Genius!
So after a close call (a collection agency yelled at me on the phone — I’m pretty sure it was a wrong number, but Ron made me fear identity theft), I began to investigate how to do this credit freeze thing, so I wouldn’t have to stress next time I throw away an unshredded bank statement. What you didn’t mention in your post — and I was shocked to discover — is that I have to PAY each one of these three services for the privilege of having them protect my money. If I had already been a victim of identity theft, I could freeze my credit report for free, but since I’ve thus far been safe (kinahora), I have to pay for continued safety.
This is totally offensive. The credit industry made money by creating a problem, and now they’re going to make more money in making people pay to fix it?!?! Arggggh!
