By the end of this year, consumers in all 50 states can have the right to freeze their own credit files in all 3 credit bureaus. A security freeze gives consumers the choice to “freeze” or lock access to their credit file against anyone who may be trying to open up a new account or to get new credit under their name. In this way, an identity thief cannot open a new account. However, if you want to apply for a credit, you have to unlock your credit accounts by using a special PIN number.

Each year, there are millions of Americans suffer from the identity theft. Obviously, consumers’ personal and financial data has become the gold of 21st century. That’s why we witness so many ID thefts in the modern information society. (In set shows the major ID leaks this year.) Freezing your credit files is the first step which you can do to against the identity theft. The cost is $10 for each credit bureau for a year. Then, if you want to apply for a mortgage, car loan, or credit card, you have to pay another $10 to unlock your credit file. Is the credit freezing worth the money? I leave this to you to make the judgments. Actually, there are many credit monitoring services available. You can use those services to monitor your credit files at 3 credit bureaus at any time. (See the post here.)

Video about Credit Freezing