Freeze Your Credit (and Your Kids')

The story: The breach letter

Ana reads a data breach letter at the kitchen table, then learns a credit freeze can lock out thieves for the whole family.

1. Narrator: Ana gets a letter: a store’s data was breached, and Ana’s information may have leaked.
2. Ana: What could someone do with my information?
3. Narrator: They might try to open a credit card or a loan in Ana’s name. A credit freeze blocks that.
4. Narrator: A freeze is free. It doesn’t hurt your credit score, and you can thaw it when you apply for credit.
5. Ana: Can I freeze Maya’s credit too? Maya is only 8.
6. Narrator: Yes. Kids are targeted because no one checks their credit for years. Freeze everyone, at all three bureaus.

What you’ll learn

1. What a freeze does

   A credit freeze blocks new lenders from seeing your credit report, so a thief can’t open new credit in your name. It’s free, it doesn’t hurt your score, and your current cards and loans keep working as usual.

2. Freeze at all three bureaus

   There are three national credit bureaus, and each one needs its own freeze. When you apply for a loan, a card or an apartment, thaw the freeze for a short time, then it locks again. The fact cards link to how to freeze.

3. Freeze for your kids too

   Thieves target children’s identities because nobody checks a child’s credit for years. Parents and guardians can ask each bureau to create a file for a child and freeze it. The fact card shows what to send.

4. Fraud alert, freeze and recovery

   A fraud alert asks lenders to check that it’s really you. A freeze blocks new credit outright. You can check your credit reports for free. If your identity is stolen, IdentityTheft.gov gives a step-by-step recovery plan.

Key words

credit freeze

a free lock that stops new lenders from seeing your credit report

Also called: security freeze

thaw

lift a freeze for a short time so you can apply for credit

fraud alert

a flag that asks lenders to check it’s really you

identity theft

when someone uses your personal information to pretend to be you

Common questions

Will a freeze stop my current cards from working?

No. Your current accounts keep working. A freeze only blocks new credit.

Do I need to freeze if I never apply for credit?

It can still help. A thief can open accounts in your name without you noticing, and a freeze is free to place and lift.

Remember this

Freeze everyone. Thaw when needed.

Try it: Freeze your family’s credit

1. Freeze your credit at all three bureaus.
2. Ask each bureau to freeze your kids’ credit too.
3. Save each freeze login or PIN somewhere safe, and tick it off your checklist.

The whole mission; no account or app needed.

Live facts

Numbers that change over time, with when they were last checked and where they come from.

• How credit freezes and fraud alerts work

  Source: FTC(opens in a new tab)

• How to freeze a child’s credit

  Source: FTC(opens in a new tab)

• The credit bureaus and how to reach them

  Source: ConsumerFinance.gov(opens in a new tab)

• Report identity theft and get a recovery plan

  Source: IdentityTheft.gov(opens in a new tab)