Freezing Credit, Easier Than I Ever Imagined

[myrdale]

I have all 3 credit bureaus on freezes which everyone should do to prevent fraud against yourselves but I can lead a horse to water but I can't make the horse drink it.

After reading QuarterMillionMan's remarks in another thread about instituting a credit freeze, I decided to try it last night. It was easier than I ever imagined. Literally 5 minutes and I had freezes on each of my accounts at all three credit bureaus.

I should preface this by saying I did already have user accounts / log ins for each of the following:

https://www.equifax.com/

https://www.experian.com/

https://www.transunion.com/

Previously when I had established a user accounts for each of these sites, it may have been a 15 minute process for each from starting the registration to confirming my email. But going in for turning the credit freeze on was minutes.

The sites did vary slightly from I think Equifax having the option to freeze credit right up front, to Transunion requiring I dig through the user settings for a minute. In each of the cases though, it was as simple as clicking a slider or button and confirming on the site.

I agree with QuarterMillionMan's assessment that it is very much worth doing. Should I ever need to unfreeze the accounts, it is a simple matter of unclicking the button.

[Fishindude77]

We got hacked a year or more ago and I froze our credit as well.
Not planning on borrowing anything so it's pretty unimportant anyway.

[myrdale]

Not planning on borrowing anything so it's pretty unimportant anyway.

Even though you're not planning on borrowing in the future, it still makes it more difficult for someone to sign up for an account in your name. I'd argue it is more important considering you've already been comprised.

[QuarterMillionMan]

In the past I used to have to pay $10 for each freeze and $10 for each unfreeze, for a total of $60. Then maybe about 5 or 10 years ago, congress made it free. Congress probably had caved in to lobbiest agreeing to charge $10 for freezes but congress maybe had a 2nd thought about it and made it free. Just like the WEP, windfall elimination provision, but I digress. Yes, the free credit bureau freezes are a wonderful thing.

[QuarterMillionMan]

When Congress Made Credit Freezes Free


Congress made credit freezes free for all Americans starting September 21, 2018 Wolf Street.

The change came after the Equifax data breach in 2017, which exposed the personal information of about 147 million people PaymentsJournal. In response, lawmakers passed a provision in May 2018 as part of a broader banking bill that required all three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to make placing and lifting a credit freeze free in every state Wolf Street.

Under the new law:

• Cost: No fees for placing or lifting a freeze at any of the three bureaus.
• Process: Credit bureaus must place or lift a freeze within 1 business day if done online or by phone, and 3 business days if done by mail Wolf Street.
• Scope: Applies to all U.S. residents, regardless of state laws that previously allowed fees.

This measure was intended to remove a financial barrier to using credit freezes, a powerful tool for preventing identity theft, and to make the process easier and faster for consumers

[Fishindude77]

Even though you're not planning on borrowing in the future, it still makes it more difficult for someone to sign up for an account in your name. I'd argue it is more important considering you've already been comprised.

Maybe you misunderstood?
I froze our credit and have left it that way.

[myrdale]

Maybe you misunderstood?
I froze our credit and have left it that way.

I did.

I thought you meant that you weren't concerned with it because you had no plans to open new lines of credit. Thank you for clarifying.