f you haven’t frozen your credit reports yet, this could be your moment.
Under the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, freezing your credit at all three major credit bureaus — Equifax(1-800-525-6285),
Experian (1-800-397-3742) and TransUnion (
1-800-680-7289). Now is for free, previously, states set prices for credit freezes, which typically cost
about $10.
Other links of importance
Identity Theft Hotline 1-877-438-4338
Social Security 1-800-269-0271
In the United States, you can report tech
support scams with the Internet Crime
Complaint Center (IC3) or use the FTC Complaint Assistant form.
Another tool you might want to look at is Lock & Alert
Equifax offers a Lock & Alert service allows you to lock and
unlock your Equifax credit report for free, online or with the Equifax Lock
& Alert app. By locking your credit report, you can restrict access to it by third
parties, with certain exceptions. These exceptions, for instance, may include
lenders and creditors where you have existing accounts. Federal, state and
local government agencies are also exceptions.
Locking your Equifax credit file will prevent access to it by certain
third parties. Locking your Equifax credit file will not prevent access to your
credit file at any other credit reporting agency. Entities that may still have
access to your Equifax credit file include: companies like Equifax Global
Consumer Solutions which provide you with access to your credit report or
credit score, or monitor your credit file; federal, state, and local government
agencies; companies reviewing your application for employment; companies that
have a current account or relationship with you, and collection agencies acting
on behalf of those whom you owe; for fraud detection purposes; and companies
that wish to make pre-approved offers of credit or insurance to you. To opt out
of such pre-approved offers, visit www.optoutprescreen.com.