In the aftermath of the major security breach confirmed by National Public Data (NPD) on Friday, many may have to safeguard their sensitive information, like their social security number, to prevent identity theft. One of the best ways to do this is through a credit freeze, which limits access to your credit reports.
In a statement, NPD warned that the “the information that was suspected of being breached contained name, email address, phone number, social security number, and mailing address(es).”
It recommended the public take a number of steps to safeguard their information, including freezing their credit, which NPD said “means potential creditors cannot get your credit report.” It also means bad actors cannot take out loans or open credit cards, since the freeze locks the data at the consumer reporting agency until the individual gives permission for the release of said data.
Read More: How to Check if Your Information Was Compromised in the Social Security Number Breach
There are other alternatives to a credit freeze, including a credit lock and a fraud alert, but a credit freeze is the most effective.
The best way to go about freezing your credit is creating an account with the three big credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. These agencies are also recommended by the U.S. government. A request must be made separately to each, though the service is free.
Once an account is created with a username and password, users can simply click a button and freeze their credit. This request can also be submitted by mail or phone with each agency. Typically, the freeze will take place within one business day if requested over the phone or online, and within three business days if requested by mail.
With these agencies, parents also have the ability to freeze their children’s credit reports, if necessary. Experian has a Child Identity Theft Protection scheme, through which parents can check if their child has an Experian credit report and add a fraud alert to the report or freeze it.
According to Experian, it’s important to remember that a credit freeze does not fully block access to credit reports, it only limits them. So, credit bureaus can still share credit reports when requested for “non-lending purposes,” including insurance companies, landlords, employers, and government agencies.
Under a freeze, if a legitimate lending party needs to run your credit, they should contact you directly from the organization, and then the freeze can be lifted.
