Credit freeze

A credit freeze, also called a security freeze, locks your credit report so that new lenders cannot look at it. Since most lenders will not open a new account without checking your report, a freeze blocks criminals from opening credit in your name. In the US, freezes have been free by federal law since 2018, and you place one separately at each of the three national credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. A freeze does not lower your credit score or affect existing cards and loans. When you want to apply for credit, you lift it temporarily or permanently online. Parents can also freeze credit for children under 16. Other countries have different systems.