You’ll need to send a written request with the following information: full legal name (including suffixes – whatever appears on your credit report), full address, date of birth, and Social Security number. While TransUnion acknowledges that freezing your credit by mail is the slowest way to freeze credit, it is also an effective method for placing a security freeze. Get the app for Android or Apple: Google Play Apple Storeįreeze Your Credit with TransUnion by Postal Service:įor those who are wary of providing personal information like a Social Security number to an online service due to hacking concerns, there are several other options that will allow you to place a security freeze with TransUnion. Here is a brief breakdown, from TransUnion’s site, that illustrates some of the free and paid services they offer: One of the benefits of using TransUnion’s online services is their mobile app, which allows you to freeze and unfreeze your credit, among other things, on the go. Be careful to only sign up for the free credit freeze, unless you’d like additional credit monitoring. While signing up for a free credit freeze will not cost anything, many of these other products require payment. Note: When signing up for your TransUnion account, you will see that there are many products offered for credit monitoring. The PIN is not needed to freeze or unfreeze using your online account with TransUnion, since you’ll have a password to use to log in, but you will need it otherwise. It is extremely important that you record your PIN, because without it, you will not be able to freeze or unfreeze your credit by phone. Once you verify your identity, you will be able to place your credit freeze, at which point you can choose a PIN if you do not choose your own PIN, you will be assigned one randomly. You will also be asked specific identification questions in order to verify that you are indeed who you say you are these prompts may include questions regarding your past addresses, time-frames during which your existing credit accounts were established, or approximate payment amounts for your current loans. To complete the three-step signup process, you’ll be required to submit your full legal name, your full address (you’ll be asked if you have lived there for more than six months, or not), your date of birth, your Social Security number, and other pertinent personal information. You will need to create an account, which you can later use to manage your FCRA Free Freeze, and you’ll have the option to sign up for a newsletter from TransUnion with helpful tips and news about the services you’ve requested, as well as special offers. Once you’ve clicked “Add Freeze,” you’ll land on a page that prompts you for your personal information. You’ll see three options for freezing credit – Add a Freeze, Unfreeze, and “Freeze a Loved One’s Credit.” We’ll deal with the first as we break down the steps to freeze your credit online with TransUnion. By clicking “Credit Help” and then subsequently clicking “Credit Freeze,” you will be taken to a page where you can begin the credit freeze process with TransUnion. When you visit the TransUnion website, you’ll see several options in the menu along the top. Read on for a step-by-step breakdown:įreeze Your Credit with TransUnion Online: We’ll discuss each method for requesting a credit freeze below, with a focus on freezing your credit with TransUnion. A credit freeze must be requested from each of the three major credit reporting agencies – TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian – in order to be effective, and can be requested in three different ways: online, in writing, and over the phone. This means that if your information has been exposed, thieves and scoundrels will not be able to use your information to commit fraud in your name or rack up charges that you will be liable for later. Also known as a security freeze, this essentially hides your credit history from credit issuers if a creditor is unable to see your credit file, they will not approve an application because they deem files with no information to be a risk. Perhaps the best way to safeguard against fraud is by freezing your credit. In the digital age, data breaches are unfortunately becoming a frequent occurrence fraudsters are finding ways to hack into the databases of some of the biggest banks and credit issuers in order to steal personal information, and consumers are wondering how they can protect themselves from identity theft and credit fraud. Freezing your credit is a great preventative measure, but how does it work?
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