Prevent ID Theft

Block Your Credit Reports to Prevent ID Theft

At the recent post-FAWCO conference Tea, we discussed the prevention of identity

theft, the best method for which is to freeze your credit with the credit-granting agencies in the United States.    If someone is trying to establish a credit identity in your name,  they will be blocked when a credit check is run (which is a routine action by a business;  it runs a credit check before granting new credit).    And you will be notified.  It costs $10 per person and per agency, so the cost for each person requesting a credit freeze is $30.  This is very cheap insurance from the nightmare that is identity theft.

There is a way to “lift” the credit freeze if you are requesting new credit (eg.,for buying a car).

How to Request a Freeze

You need to send a letter to each consumer reporting company (click on Experian Security Freeze for a downloadable template in Word that you can fill in): 

Equifax Security Freeze

P.O. Box 105788

Atlanta, GA 30348, USA

Experian Security Freeze

P.O. Box 9554

Allen, TX 75013, USA

TransUnion Security Freeze

P.O. Box 6790

Fullerton, CA 92834-6790, USA

When you request a freeze you need to provide identifying information such as your name, current and former addresses, Social Security number, and date of birth. Experian additionally requires two items proving residence, such as a copy of your driver license, a utility bill, or bank statement.

For an article on the subject, go to the following link (coming from the American Association of Retired Persons, and a credible source):

http://www.aarp.org/money/consumer/articles/block_your_credit_reports_to_prevent_id_theft.html