Why I Froze My Credit Report
- December 12, 2012
- 3 comments
- Posted in Consumer Rights, Credit Cards, Latest Posts
Rampant identity theft makes me so uneasy that I froze my credit report last year. I did it online, at each of the three credit bureau sites (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion), and it wasn’t hard. With a frozen report, no one can apply for a new credit card or line of credit in my name.
Which, by the way, includes me! Recently, I wanted to change the name on my business American Express cards. Amex turned me down because it couldn’t access my credit history. In just three minutes, at Experian online, I lifted the freeze for 24 hours, paying a $5 fee (fees vary state by state). Amex checked me out, issued the card, and the freeze went back on.
I’m not protected from crooks who get the number of one of my existing credit cards, but at least I’ve taken one positive step. For more on freezing credit accounts, check my Dimespring column here.
Tags: American Express, Credit Cards, freeze credit history
I did the same thing years ago and I’ve only had to lift the freeze twice in all those years. I definitely sleep better knowing that someone can’t open a new cc account in my name.
Try it; you’ll sleep better, too!
I would like to put a freeze on mine and my husband’s credit accounts. We feel the process is burdensome. It should be easy. They pretty much ask for “the keys to the castle” for identification. Giving them copies of our drivers license, DOB, SS# and utility bill via the US mail is not secure. IF someone gets a hold of the envelope, they could open accounts in our name.
Also, I tried the links in your column and the one for Equifax said the webpage wasn’t secure. Also, the clowns at TransUnion have been insisting on and off that my husband does not live at our current address that we have been at 25 years. Some years we can get a “free credit report” from them, currently we can’t. How can I trust them with my information?
SOrry for the rant but his personal information has been criminally compromised at Nationwide Insurance, a company we have NEVER done business with. We both find it frustrating that we can’t easily freeze his credit report. We have put a fraud alert on it but would feel safer with the freeze.
DId you really feel comfortable senging them your personal information?
Yes, I sent personal info but wasn’t asked for utility bills. I did it all online. Credit bureaus have this info anyway.
But, when they have a mistake on your records, it can be a nightmare to fix. That’s worth ranting about.