Credit Freeze – Yes We’re Talking About it Again.

More than likely, you are a victim of a data security breach also known as identity theft.  Probably more than once, but most notably, as part of the recent Equifax incident that impacts over 143,000,000 individuals.  That is nearly half of the U.S. population that had personal information such as name, date of birth, social security number, and address taken with malicious intentions.

The criminals with all of this personal information are likely selling it to other criminals who will use it to create fraudulent identities in order to set up credit cards and other forms of theft.  Since it is linked to valid identities, it creates a myriad of problems for the real person by destroying their credit file.  After an identity theft, it is up to the innocent victim to spend the countless hours necessary to rebuild their credit and prove that they are responsible citizens.

So what can you do?  First is to set up free credit monitoring through Credit Karma at  This will allow you to keep a watchful eye on the activity associated with your personal identity.  This does require you to be proactive in watching and react quickly when you see something suspicious.

The second and most effective step is to freeze your credit which prevents anyone from being able to access your credit file without your approval.  This involves writing a letter requesting a freeze and sending it along with proof of ID to the three main credit bureaus Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.  In Illinois, it also requires you send a $10 payment with each letter.  Once your request is processed, each company will send you a letter confirming the freeze which will include a personal identification number “PIN” that you will need to keep in a safe place.

Whenever you need to allow for a lender to access your file, you simply call in to the appropriate credit bureau to request a temporary “thaw” of your file by providing them with the PIN and the timeframe you want it to be lifted.

While this sounds like a lot of trouble, freezing your credit file is the ounce of prevention that will prevent the hours of headaches and heartburn that plague victims of identity theft. To help make this process easier for anyone willing to follow through with the credit freeze, I have provided the letter templates here.  Stay vigilant.


Credit Freeze Letters