Identity Theft Victim’s Bill of Rights: Your Credit Reports Part 2
written by Credit-HQ ExpertA Credit Freeze: Your Right to Freeze Your Credit Report
A credit freeze takes your control over your credit report to the next level. A fraud alert puts the responsibility to validate your credit with the lender and alerts them to a possible problem with your credit report. A credit security freeze is a block on any business from accessing your credit for any reason. This goes for a credit card company, an insurance company, a cell phone business or an employer running a background check on you. Not all states grant you a right to a credit freeze. But if you live in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Vermont, or Washington, a credit freeze is part of your credit bill of rights.
A credit freeze restricts access to your credit reports entirely so a lender must get your permission to see your credit information. This is a potent weapon against identity theft but it also can get in the way of you using your credit to open a new credit account. How credit freezes work is different in each state that allows them. There may be a fee and it may be up to you to prove that you need the credit freeze to protect yourself. Here is a website where you can get more information about credit freeze laws. http://www.equifax.com/popups/ec_pop_fcra_state_chart.html In addition, here are the contact details for each credit bureau to put a credit freeze in place.
| Equifax Equifax Security Freeze P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348 800-525-6285 |
Experian Experian Security Freeze P. O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 888-397-3742 |
TransUnion TransUnion Security Freeze P. O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92834-6790 800-680-7289 |
When you request a credit freeze, you will need a number of things including…
- Your copy of the report you made to the police.
- Information about payments you have made
- Your address.
- When you were born.
- Your birth date.
- Proof of where you live.
- Your Social Security Number
Also, submit a letter requesting the credit report freeze. Once you submit your information, each credit agency must take action within five working days. Bear in mind that you will not be able to open any new credit accounts or get any new loans when the credit freeze is in place. There are ways to go about lifting the freeze for one specific lender to get around this restriction. You can find out how to do that using the information in this article to research credit freezes with each credit bureau. There you can also learn how to go about removing the credit freeze.
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