Having your social security number stolen is one of the biggest breaches of personal privacy that can come with extreme consequences. Identity thieves can use this number to commit fraud, theft, and other crimes, wreaking havoc on victims’ credit and legal standing.

Even those who uphold online safety are still vulnerable to data breaches. As of August 2024, several news sources reported that a hacking group claimed that they stole 2.9 billion personal records, including social security numbers, from the National Public Data, a background check company.

A credit freeze essentially restricts access to a credit report. Access to the data is “frozen” or blocked until the individual unfreezes or “thaws” it, which would allow access to it again. There are a few exceptions to the restriction, so creditors of accounts you already hold, companies you’ve already allowed to monitor your credit file, and certain government entities will still have access to your credit report.

A credit freeze does not impact an individual’s credit score. The freeze only stops reports being accessed for any lending purposes. This means you won’t be able to open new financial accounts for credit cards or loans; however, other non-lending situations, such as a landlord running a tenant-screening, are permissible. 

There are three major credit reporting bureaus – Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. You will have to place a request to freeze your report at every single bureau, since they all have different credit reports. You’ll have to first create an account, then the bureau will quickly guide you through the rest of the steps. Doing this digitally is the most time-efficient way to freeze your account.

It is free to freeze and unfreeze - DO NOT PAY anything to any bureau. If you’re being prompted to pay something, they’re trying to charge you for a different service. 

Here are the links to each bureau: 

Experian: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html 

Equifax: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/ 

Transunion: https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze 

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to make a call, here is the number you should call for each bureau: 

Experian: 1‑888‑397‑3742

Equifax: 1-800-349-9960

Transunion: 1-888-909-8872

If your information has potentially been compromised, it is best to freeze your account for an extra safety barrier.

Moreover, there are credit monitoring services that will notify you when a new account is opened under your name. Experian’s services are free, while Equifax and TransUnion have a service available at a fee. Additionally, many major banking services, such as Chase and Capital One, have similar tools available on their website or app that you can access if you hold an account with them.

If a credit monitoring service detects unusual activity, such as the opening of a new account in your name, it's crucial to freeze your credit as soon as possible to prevent further damage. We also recommend heading to identitytheft.gov and filing a report immediately if you encounter this situation.

Since it provides an extra layer of security, some individuals choose to always leave their credit frozen until they know they’ll have to do an activity requiring a credit check. The only con with this is that you will need to go through the process of unfreezing your credit each time, otherwise your credit requests may be declined or significantly delayed. 

Yes. You can unfreeze or thaw your credit by accessing the same three accounts you used to freeze your credit. With a temporary thaw, you are able to schedule how long your account is unfrozen for.

Yes. You get the choice between a temporary and permanent unfreeze of your accounts.

No. Under federal law, freezing and unfreezing your accounts at the major credit bureaus must remain free.

Fraud alerts are available through the three major credit reporting companies. Fraud alerts essentially flag your account and alerts creditors that your identity may be compromised, making them take more steps to verify your identity. It only needs to be requested through one bureau.

Here are the links to enable fraud alert notifications:

Experian: https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html 

Equifax: https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-fraud-alerts/ 

Transunion: https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts 

Additionally, immediately file a report with identitytheft.gov. This is a site from the Federal Trade Commission that will organize the best recovery plan based on your situation. 

Make sure to enable 2FA for your accounts if you would like an extra layer of precaution. While the National Public Data breach did not leak passwords, hackers may still be able to access passwords from previous data leaks. You can check if your password was involved with a data leak through the site haveibeenpwned.com. 

While data breaches seem hectic, with precautionary measures and resources, individuals can take the proper steps to protect their identity.

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-does-it-mean-to-put-a-security-freeze-on-my-credit-report-en-1341/ 

https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/what-to-know-before-freezing-your-credit 

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/15/business/social-security-numbers-stolen-hack.html