Freeze Your Credit at All Three Bureaus Today

Credit freezes are the single most effective action you can take to prevent identity theft and new account fraud. A credit freeze blocks lenders from accessing your credit report, which means no one can open a new account in your name even if they have your Social Security number and other personal information.

The process is free, reversible, and takes about fifteen minutes per bureau. You will need to freeze at all three: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Each gives you a PIN or online account to thaw the freeze when you legitimately need to apply for credit. Thaws can be temporary and bureau-specific.

Many people delay this because they think it will be inconvenient. In practice, most people apply for new credit only a few times per year, and a five-minute thaw is a minor inconvenience compared to the months of effort required to recover from identity theft.

For a complete credit protection system, see our catalog. Freezing your credit is the one financial protection step with no real downside.