(If he or she doesn’t have a credit report, there will be nothing to freeze.) If your child has been added as an authorized user or joint account holder, he or she may have a legitimate credit history. However, it’s not so simple.īefore placing a credit freeze for a dependent, you’ll have to first see if your child has a credit report. Some parents think that placing a freeze on a child’s credit report will prevent identity theft for their dependents. Sometimes identity thieves target minors and use their personal information to open credit cards, apply for loans, and more. Requesting a Credit Freeze for a Dependent There may be a small fee associated with temporarily lifting a freeze, but it varies from state to state. According to the FTC, a credit reporting company must lift a freeze no more than three business days after processing your temporary lift request. To lift it temporarily, you can fill out an online form, call, or mail in a request. There’s also an option to temporarily lift it if you need to apply for credit yourself. In most states, a credit freeze remains in place indefinitely until you remove it. Copy of a utility bill or bank statement for proof of address.Īfter processing your credit freeze, each credit reporting company will send a confirmation letter with a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password.Copy of government-issued identification.Current address and past addresses for the last two years.TransUnion offers an easy online form that will help you obtain a credit freeze. You may have to pay a small fee to place a freeze, depending on your state and whether or not you’ve been a confirmed victim of identity theft. Start by contacting each of the three credit reporting companies (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax) separately to place a freeze. It also won’t affect your existing lines of credit you can continue to use your credit cards like normal.
TRANSUNION FREEZE FREE
Note that a credit freeze does not affect your credit score, nor your right to one free credit report per year.
TRANSUNION FREEZE FULL
(If you need to open a new line of credit while your credit is frozen, you can temporarily lift the freeze to do so.
You should consider getting a credit freeze if:
TRANSUNION FREEZE HOW TO
Read on to determine if a credit freeze makes sense for you and learn how to get one. Most creditors will not extend credit to an applicant if they cannot see his or her file. If an identity thief files for a credit application, a freeze will prevent lenders from accessing your credit report. One of the most important steps in this process is often getting a credit freeze (sometimes known as a security freeze). If you find yourself a victim of identity theft, start taking immediate recovery steps to get your life back on track.