![]() You'll be asked for your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number to verify your identity. Eastern time during the week, and between 9 a.m. How to set up a credit freeze with Equifax by telephoneĬall Equifax at (888) 298-0045 between 9 a.m. You won't need to set up a PIN to unfreeze it if you have an Equifax account - your username and password will be enough. ![]() Then you'll be able to freeze your credit. Make sure the password is unique and strong. Equifax will retrieve your information and prompt you to set up an Equifax account. Then you'll have to fill out personal information, including your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number. Go to the dedicated page on the Equifax website at and click "Get started with a freeze." This is the easiest way to freeze your credit with Equifax. ![]() How to set up a credit freeze with Equifax online We also have guides on how to freeze your credit with Experian and how to freeze your credit with TransUnion. Equifax doesn't let you have a credit lock and a credit freeze at the same time.īelow is how to set up an Equifax credit freeze. The difference is that Lock & Report isn't regulated by the federal government, and Equifax makes more money if it's easier to unlock your files. To do this with a credit freeze, you have to log into your account on the Equifax website. This ensures you receive notifications for all activity on your account, including new accounts opened, inquiries placed on your account, loans paid off, address changes, your credit score increasing or dropping, and even if you’re using a higher than usual percent of credit available to you.Equifax also offers a free service called "Lock & Report" that is basically the same as a credit freeze, except that there are mobile apps for iOS and Android that let you "unlock" your Equifax credit file with a swipe of a finger. Better safe than sorryĮven if you decide not to freeze your credit, you may consider hiring a credit monitoring service. It also won’t prevent you from using existing open credit lines, only from opening new ones. You can also complete this process online by visiting the credit bureaus’ websites.įreezing your credit will not harm your credit score, and it will not prevent you from receiving your free annual credit report. If you need to give someone access to your credit, simply call the three credit bureaus you placed a freeze with and provide your unique PIN and other personal information. Why should I freeze my credit?įreezing your credit is a free and simple process that involves a couple of phone calls and can help prevent credit fraud.Ĭredit freezes are also easy to lift either temporarily or indefinitely. Once the freeze has been placed, you’ll receive a PIN or password that you will need to know when you unfreeze your credit, which you can do online or by phone.Īs of September of 2018, credit freezes and unfreezes are free under federal law. ![]() To freeze your credit, you’ll need to call each of the three nationwide credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Transunion. Some individuals who don’t plan on needing credit anytime soon may put a freeze on their credit to proactively prevent suspicious activity on their account. However, suspecting fraudulent activity isn’t the only reason you may decide to freeze your credit. Other common reasons to freeze credit include finding inquiries placed by companies you didn’t give permission, finding new credit accounts opened that you don’t remember opening or losing your wallet and other important personal documents. Since placing a freeze on your credit – also known as a security freeze – will restrict access to your credit report, it makes it harder for fraudsters to access your information and open accounts in your name. The most common reason people freeze their credit is because they believe they are a victim of identity theft. When should I consider freezing my credit? Let’s go through when, how and why you would freeze your credit. This includes individuals trying to steal your identity and take credit out in your name and even companies placing inquiries on your report without your permission. A simple way to prevent unauthorized access to your credit is to freeze your credit. ![]()
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