Security Credit Freezes

Get Your Free Credit Reports

Federal law entitles you to at least one free credit report every year from credit reporting agencies (CRAs), including the major CRAs – EXPERIAN, EQUIFAX, and TRANSUNION.

Due to pandemic-related identity fraud, the three major CRAs allow you to check your credit reports EVERY WEEK for free.

How to Get Your Credit Reports

You can download your free credit reports from EXPERIAN, EQUIFAX, and TRANSUNION at annualcreditreport.com, the only government-authorized source for free credit reports. Just click on the “Get Credit Reports” link below.

Correct Your Credit Reports

Inspect your credit reports for false or incorrect information; for example, fraudulent new loans and new credit cards that lenders issued to criminals using your stolen identity, and incorrect payment information regarding your existing loans and credit accounts.

How to Correct Your Credit Reports

By law, credit reporting agencies and lenders are required to correct and delete false, inaccurate, and incomplete information contained in your credit reports. Just click on the links below to dispute and correct false and incorrect credit report information contained in your major CRA credit reports.

Freeze Your Credit Reports

Federal law allows you to order a free security “credit freeze” on your credit reports. A credit freeze prohibits credit reporting agencies from releasing your credit reports to new lenders without your express authorization. Without access to your credit reports, responsible lenders will not give criminals fraudulent loans and credit cards in your name.

How to Freeze Your Credit Reports

By law, you have the option to order a credit freeze either online or by phone. The law also allows you to temporarily “unfreeze” your credit reports online or by phone when you want to apply for new loans and credit cards. CRAs must freeze your credit reports within one business day of your request, and unfreeze your credit reports within one hour of your request.

Click on the links below to freeze and unfreeze your credit reports online or by phone with EXPERIAN, EQUIFAX, and TRANSUNION.

Freeze Your Child’s Credit Reports

Federal law allows parents and guardians to order free “security credit freezes” for children under 16 YOA. When you order a child credit freeze, credit reporting agencies are legally required to create and freeze a minor child’s credit file. A child credit freeze prohibits credit reporting agencies from releasing your child’s frozen credit reports to lenders. Without credit report access, responsible lenders will not give criminals fraudulent loans and credit cards using your child’s identity.

Freezing your child’s credit reports is not as easy as freezing your own credit reports. Click on The Secure Dad© Podcast button below to listen to a 7-minute podcast explaining the child credit freeze process for Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and to download a free comprehensive guide on “How To Freeze Your Child’s Credit.”

Innovis

The fourth largest nationwide credit reporting agency that some lenders use to get your credit reports and determine whether to grant loans or credit cards to their applicants.

For more information about getting your free annual credit report, disputing your report and freezing your report from Innovis,
CLICK HERE.

NCTUE (National Consumer Telecom and Security Exchange)

A specialized credit reporting agency that telephone communication companies, household utility companies, and the TV industry use to get your credit reports and determine whether to provide these services to their applicants.

For more information about getting your free annual credit report, disputing your report and freezing your report from NCTUE,
CLICK HERE.

ChexSystems

A specialized credit reporting agency that financial institutions use for account verification services. ChexSystems collects and reports data on checking account applications, openings, and closures, including reasons for account closure.

CFPB List of Consumer Reporting Companies

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) maintains an annual list of consumer reporting companies.  You can use the CFPB’s list (available HERE) to help you take advantage of your right to review the information in your consumer reports, and dispute possible inaccuracies with companies as needed.

Market areas included in the CFPB list include: nationwide consumer reporting companies, employment screening, tenant screening, check and bank screening, personal property insurance, medical, low income and subprime, supplementary reports (combination of consumer reporting credit with data from public records and ID verification data), utilities, retail and gaming.