Protect Yourself From Identity Theft With a Credit Freeze

A proactive way to prevent identity theft is to freeze your credit file with the three credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Freezing your credit file means no one can open a new account. It does not close your exisitng lines of credit, but it means that no one can open a new credit account or line of credit. If you’re young and trying to open lines of credit to establish your credit history you probably don’t want to freeze your credit file. However, seniors who don’t need to open more lines of credit and maybe have paid off their mortgage can consider freezing their credit to prevent possible identity theft. Also, consider freezing your credit if you think your personal information was compromised and you’re at risk for identity theft.