Credit protection
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
Pull a free report from a different bureau every four months to monitor your credit throughout the year.
Spreading out requests lets you check for problems three times annually.
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Be aware that credit freezes do not stop all types of identity theft, such as loans that don't require a credit report or fraud involving corrupt loan officers.
One person had a $32k loan taken out in their name despite having a credit freeze, suggesting some loans do not require a credit report.
- Credit freezes only block you from applying, they do not stop thieves entirely.
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Access free credit reports from the three major agencies via the sole U.S. government-approved website.
- The site provides the report but not the credit score.
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Check your credit reports regularly to detect identity theft early.
Failing to do so can lead to years of fraudulent accounts that become a nightmare to dispute.
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- Monitor your credit reports daily after discovering identity theft to catch new fraudulent attempts quickly.1
Focus on the information on your credit report rather than obsessing over your credit score, as scores are often a marketing gimmick that rarely matches the score lenders use.
Marketing convinces consumers to pay for scores that rarely match those used by banks and credit agencies.
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Freeze your children's credit to prevent identity theft.
It stops bad actors from ruining their credit or parents opening cards in their names and maxing them out.
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Store your credit freeze PINs and dates in a secure note on your phone.
This allows you to record the date and pin for each bureau to temporarily unfreeze in the future.
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Distinguish between credit freezes and credit locks.
A freeze stops new accounts but requires no account maintenance; a lock lets you toggle faster but requires maintaining an account at the bureau.
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Dispute incorrect personal information such as old addresses or phone numbers on your credit reports.
Ensuring accuracy is useful, and these errors can often be removed fairly quickly after disputing.
- The three bureaus may show your credit history differently.
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Dispute unauthorized card charges through your financial institution.
You are generally not liable for charges you did not make.
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Use tap-to-pay for transactions instead of swiping cards.
Skimmers designed to steal card information are becoming more common.
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Cancel automatic merchant payments and set up manual bank transfers instead, so only you can change payment details.
It prevents unauthorized changes to payment methods or amounts by others.
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Check your score for free using Credit Karma, but note that it may lack report details and scores can differ greatly from actual figures.
- Scores may have significant variances from the real score; the service makes money from recommended products.
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Report suspicious credit activity to credit bureaus immediately to place a fraud alert.
This flags future applications for verification and alerts creditors.
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Gather detailed information about fraudulent accounts, including names and addresses of co-signers.
This information can assist in identifying perpetrators; one person noted this helped lead to arrests.
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