Net Gains: Freeze! How to Combat ID Theft

June 10, 2008 — -- The Federal Trade Commission last year estimated that in 2005, some 8.3 million Americans fell victim to identity theft.

That amounts to nearly 23,000 victims every day of the year. It means in any given year about 3 out of every 100 Americans spend significant time and money cleaning up after thieves who adopt their identities for the purpose of committing financial fraud.

Think it can't happen to you? Think again.

It could be happening to you right now. According to the FTC, almost a quarter of the victims do not learn about the misuse of their personal information until at least six months after it has occurred.

That's why you may want to consider a credit freeze as your best defense.

Known also as a security freeze, a credit freeze allows consumers to block access to their credit reports, making it tough for fraudsters to obtain a credit card or some other type of loan in someone else's name. Without access to an individual's credit history, credit card issuers and other lenders are unlikely to approve the requested credit.

The advocacy group Consumers Union calls the credit or security freeze "the only effective means for consumers to prevent the most costly and difficult to detect type of identity theft – new account fraud."

Implementing and lifting a credit freeze can be cumbersome, given the need to contact each of the three major credit bureaus and requirements that differ according to which state you reside in. But the process has become easier within the past year and appears likely to get even easier in the future.

At one time, your right to block access to your credit history depended on your home state. As concerns about identity theft grew, individual states began passing laws allowing consumers to implement a freeze. By last summer, all but 11 states had adopted some version of a freeze law.

Then in September, TransUnion became the first of the three big credit bureaus to announce it would allow U.S. consumers, regardless of residence, to lock down their credit histories. Equifax and Experian soon followed.