Learn how to place or remove an Equifax credit freeze online, over the phone or by mail. Freezing your credit is free and the best way to guard against identity theft.
A credit freeze does not impact your ability to use any existing financial accounts you may have, including bank and credit/debit accounts. Nor will it protect you from fraud on those existing accounts. It is mainly a way to minimize the risk that someone may be able to create new accounts...
that one could claim up to $20,625 ($125 if you do not enroll in the offered credit monitoring + $500 for time spent + $20,000 for monetary losses), if you have the documentation to support that you spent 20+ hours and were impacted by identity theft in the amount of $20,000+ ...
While it may seem like credit bureaus realized a huge financial windfall as a result of the Equifax breach, it’s important to keep in mind that credit bureaus also make money by selling your credit report to potential lenders — something they can’t do if there’s a freeze on ...