Can a Security or Credit Freeze Guard Against Identity Theft?

If you think you are at risk for identity theft then you should take the necessary precautions and make sure all of your personal contact information is secure. All it takes is one little slip up and someone has your information and they can do a lot of damage. It can be very difficult to get things back to the way they were. Any old statements with credit card account numbers should be shredded. Never take any unnecessary chances when it comes to your personal information.

Contact the credit bureau bureaus once a year and get a free copy of your credit report. You will be able to take a look to see if there are any accounts which you did not open or authorize. If there are accounts which are not yours you should dispute them immediately. Derogatory credit, even if it is not yours, will harm your credit by lowering your credit score. You can get a free copy of your credit report by contacting www.annualcreditreport.com. Once a year all three credit reporting agencies are required to give you a free copy of your report.

The specific information for each credit bureau is as follows:

Experian
P.O. Box 9556
Allen, Texas 75013
1-888-397-3742

Equifax
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, Georgia 30374
1-800-685-1111

Transunion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, Pa. 19022-2000
Office in PA 1-800-888-4213
800-916-8800 Consumer relations

If you think you are at risk for identity theft you can also contact the credit reporting agencies and place a credit freeze on your report. This is also known as a security freeze. Once a freeze is in place absolutely no one can look at your credit file without your permission. Anyone attempting to access your credit information will actually have to contact you first. If you need to have a credit freeze installed there will be a cost less than $15 and the same cost will be required to have the freeze removed.

You should be aware of the fact that if you are applying for credit such as an auto loan, or mortgage, credit card account or any other type of credit those creditors will not be able to get your credit information. This can delay the processing of any and all credit applications. You can have a credit freeze removed temporarily by contacting the credit reporting agency by mail or by phone. Your credit is important and you should take whatever steps are necessary to guard your personal information.

Source: http://www.transunion.com/corporate/personal/fraudIdentityTheft/preventing/securityFreeze.page