Have you been the victim of identity theft? Do you think you were involved in a data breach online?
When locking your credit, a vital element to know is that locking your credit with one credit bureau will not cause the other two reports to be locked. You will need to request locks for each credit report to prevent all credit checks as you navigate your way through, avoiding identity theft.
Each credit bureau will request that you create a user account on their website or app when you join their program. When you are ready to unlock your credit, you will be able to log in and unlock your file with only one click. That is a perk of credit locking that you don’t get with a credit freeze because it is much faster and easier to unlock your information than unfreeze it.
You can always air on the side of caution and freeze or lock your credit as a proactive measure. Still, in most cases, you will need to lock or freeze your credit when your personal information or social security number has been exposed due to a data breach.
utting a freeze on your child’s credit is a free way to restrict access to their personal information. It also provides the opportunity to give them the blank slate they deserve until they are 16.