How To Request A Credit Freeze From The Credit Reporting Agencies.
Credit freezes are designed to prevent any of the 3 credit companies from releasing your credit report without your consent. When you request a freeze on your report, for whatever reason, you are usually given a PIN number to be used to authorize someone to look at your credit report – whether that be at a car dealer, for a real estate transaction, etc.. The credit reporting agency being asked for your information will contact you for this PIN number and assorted other personal identification, just to be sure that you are who you say you are. After all, if you are requesting a credit freeze, it is usually because your identity has been compromised.
Requesting A Credit Freeze
In order to freeze your credit reports, you will need to send a letter to each of the three credit agencies. Each of them charges a fee to put a freeze on your credit, and the amount of the fee could be different from state to state. However, the fee is pretty low and worth every penny. Lucky for you, the Identity Theft Resource Center has a free PDF download of a sample letter you can send to the 3 agencies
With any letters you send, you must send proof of your ID. After all, you don’t want a “fake” you requesting a freeze on your credit, do you? Send along these docs:
- A copy of your driver’s license
- A copy of your Social Security Card
- A copy of a bill matching your name and address
Be sure to always send your letters via Certified Mail Return Receipt. Here are the addresses for each of the credit agencies:
TransUnion
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
State info and fee schedule for Transunion
Equifax Security Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, Georgia 30348
State info and fee schedule for Equifax
Experian Security Freeze
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
State info and fee schedule for Experian
While I don’t recommend freezing your credit for no reason other than fear, it’s good to know that you can freeze it if you feel your identity has been compromised. It can instantly stop any thieves from using and/or getting new credit in your name, and requires any lenders to really secure who they are lending to.
You might also like:
- How To Fix A Mistake On Your Credit Report.
- Test Your Credit IQ By Taking This Quiz.
- Who Is Responsible For Paying The Debts Of A Deceased Relative.
- Going Against Popular Opinion And Closing A Credit Card Account.
- Credit Card Research: Eufora Prepaid MasterCard with Credit Builder.
Related Websites:
- Charging Customers to Pay with a Credit Card
- How Does Credit Reporting Work?
- Freeze Your Credit Report to Prevent Identity Theft
I have heard that you can call them to do this and it takes less than five minutes.
Great news for those of us that need to do it.
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