6 Ways to Protect Yourself from the Equifax Credit Breach
4. How Will the Credit Freeze Stop the Criminal Lifting Your Credit Freeze?
Despite the fact that criminals are now in possession for 44% of American’s sensitive information, there is still a way to stop them from unfreezing your credit. At the time of freezing your credit, you’ll receive a long PIN, so remember to take note of it, but don’t let it fall into anyone else’s hands. TransUnion will allow you to create your own pin, and Experian will send it in the mail, while Equifax will decide it for you and tell it to you over the phone. Don’t hang up until you’ve written it all down, and know that you can play the message over as many times as you need. To unfreeze your credit, it’ll cost around $30 from all 3 companies combined. And if there’s a Credit Breach again? Unfreeze and then re-freeze your credit and hold on tightly to your new set of PINs.