How to put a Freeze on Your Credit Report
If you are eligible to put a credit freeze on your report, you must take the following steps. First, you must put it in writing. You have to do it with all three credit bureaus, which are Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax. While each agency has different requirements, the following items are standard. You should send a letter certified that includes: your name, your current and former addresses, your social security number and your birth date.
Now if you have been a victim of identity theft, then there is no charge to put a freeze on your credit reports. What you should do is include a copy of the police report with each of your letters. If you have not been an identity theft victim, then the cost is around $10 to put a freeze on your report at each of the credit agencies. You need to include the payment with your request.
If you want to apply for new credit while you have the freeze, you will need to request the the freeze be lifted a few days ahead of time. The best thing to do is to find out which bureau will be used to obtain the credit report. That way the freeze is not lifted off of all three credit reports. There is no way for a creditor to pull your report with a freeze on it unless the freeze is lifted off. You cannot give permission to bypass the freeze. If it is a temporary lift, then your account may remain in that state for 3 to 30 days.
If you would like the freeze lifted permanently, you must request this with each individual credit report agency that has a freeze on your report. You will have to have your identifying information and possibly a PIN# as evidence of your identity. Once the freeze has been removed, there will be no evidence on your report that the freeze ever existed.
We will finish the credit freeze discussion tomorrow
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