Security Freeze - Protect Against ID Theft

Identity Theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. Over $50 billion is stolen each year via Identity Theft, and you need to protect yourself. One of the best ways to protect yourself is to lock-down your credit reports with a PIN number.

By establishing a PIN number for your credit reports, you will keep prying eyes off of your information, which will help keep someone from being able to pretend that they are you, and then open accounts in your name. Of course, this only offers protection against potential future attacks.

Be sure to review your credit report to ensure that no accounts appear thereon, which are unfamiliar to you. If a review of your credit report reveals strange information, be sure to dispute it with the Credit Reporting Agency that is showing the faulty data.

Asking for a PIN number is a simple process. You may request via web, telephone, or mail. The downside is that Equifax is still in the stone ages, so they do not have an online way to ask for a PIN. You must either contact them via phone or mail. You may find information on all three of the CRAs below, if you want to establish PIN numbers for your credit reports:

TransUnion 1-888-909-8872 Fraud Victim Assistance Department, PO Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834

Experian 1-888-397-3742 PO Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013

Equifax 1-888-298-0045 PO Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348

If you have been a victim of Identity Theft, you can get a PIN for free, but you must make your request via mail only. Fees for PIN numbers vary by state. If you live in Indiana, your PIN is free. Other states allow charges ranging from $3 to $20 per bureau, so you may have to part with up to $60. However, this is chump change compared to the aggravation that any case of ID Theft may cause.

Another protection against Identity Theft is to join a program such as LifeLock or join the National Consumer Rights Alliance, which provides Identity Theft protection and up to $25,000 of insurance protection for potential victims of Identity Theft.

If you have been a victim of Identity Theft, be sure to file a police report, and obtain a copy for use in fighting unauthorized transactions and accounts. Undoing an Identity Theft can be a time-consuming and costly undertaking. Do everything you can to protect yourself upfront.