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Welcome To The Insighter!

Explore the latest happenings at Kirtland CU and learn about important topics from around the financial world. Here’s your insight! To learn about retirements, investments and financial planning, check out Invested now.

All About Freezing Your Credit

By K-Staff

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As data breaches have become more frequent, it’s worth knowing about the options for protecting your financial information and identity.

One option that has become more popular in recent years is a credit freeze. What does a credit freeze do, and when it it a good idea to consider?

What is a Credit Freeze?

When you apply for credit, like an auto loan or credit card, the creditors pull your credit report to see your record and approve you for the new account. A credit freeze is an option that allows you to prevent thieves from opening new credit accounts in your name buy restricting access to your credit report. No report, no new credit line – it’s that simple.

Freezing your credit will require you to contact each credit bureau and set up a PIN or password with them. You’ll use that PIN or password when you want to temporarily unfreeze your credit for use.

When Should You Freeze Your Credit?

In some scenarios, freezing your credit may be a good idea. Here are some moments to consider it:

  • Identity Theft: If you find out you’ve been the victim of identity theft, freezing your credit is a great way to help prevent even more damage.
  • Data Breach: If you find out your personal data may have been exposed in a data breach, freezing your credit can be a helpful precaution to take while you try to find out the extent of the compromised information.
  • Security and peace of mind: If you haven’t been a victim in either of these situations but are concerned about the possibility, freezing your credit is a layer of protection you may want to consider.

What Are The Pros and Cons?

As with all things, there are advantages and disadvantages to freezing your credit that you should consider before you act.

The Pros:

  • Freezing your credit will prevent fraudulent accounts from being opened.
  • Your credit is frozen until you lift the freeze.
  • Credit freezes are free to start and free to end.
  • Easy to manage: You can freeze and unfreeze your credit just by making a phone call.

The Cons:

  • You’ll have to unfreeze your credit each time you choose to apply for a new account, which can delay the process of getting a loan or credit card.
  • Credit freezes only protect you going forward – this will not protect you in the case of any already existing fraudulent accounts.
  • A credit freeze will only block access to your credit report. Other types of identity theft, like fraudulent tax returns or someone accessing your health insurance, are not affected.

Your Takeaway

A credit freeze can reduce the risk of identity theft but can’t protect you in all situations and may cause delays when you do need access to new sources of credit. If you choose to freeze your credit, make sure you keep track of your PIN or password to make sure you’re able to unfreeze it as needed.

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