{"id":235980,"date":"2025-09-25T14:38:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evertise.net\/?p=126026"},"modified":"2025-09-25T14:38:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T14:38:01","slug":"myfico-what-to-know-about-credit-freezes-and-protecting-credit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2025\/09\/25\/myfico-what-to-know-about-credit-freezes-and-protecting-credit\/","title":{"rendered":"myFICO: What to Know About Credit Freezes and Protecting Credit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Credit card fraud and identity theft are serious issues that can negatively impact a person’s credit score. There are not many free tools to help consumers <\/span>protect credit<\/span><\/a>, but it\u2019s nonetheless crucial to help qualify for loans and credit cards. One of the most useful ways to protect credit is with a credit freeze.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a credit freeze?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A credit freeze makes a credit report inaccessible to anybody except the individual named on the report, their current creditors, and marketers. Also known as a security freeze, it blocks both legitimate creditors and would-be fraudsters from approving any new credit account in the person’s name. Typically, when someone applies for credit using personal information, the lender or creditor checks their credit report first. If there is a credit freeze in place, the creditor cannot see the data they need to approve the application, so they can’t approve the application.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A credit freeze can help prevent identity theft and fraud, even if someone has information like a birth date and Social Security number. Credit freezes stay in place until they\u2019re lifted or \u201cthawed,\u201d so it\u2019s important to remember to do so before legitimately applying for new credit accounts. However, employers or potential employers may check the credit report if it\u2019s necessary to get a credit check for employment. Freezing credit is free with all three of the major credit bureaus and it does not harm credit.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When would someone freeze their credit?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

While fraud alerts on a credit report and bank accounts can provide alerts of identity theft attempts, it\u2019s not necessary to wait for a data breach or fraud attempt to protect credit. For most people, freezing credit may be a good idea any time they’re not actively shopping for a credit card or loan, just to err on the side of caution. Other instances where someone should consider freezing their credit include:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n