‘Tis the season for thieves, but just like locking your windows and doors at night, security experts say locking or freezing your credit can make a huge difference.
“Credit freezing can be really effective when it comes to making sure accounts can’t be opened in your name,” Sean Phillips with GreyCastle Security explained.
Phillips said you can do so by creating an account on a website like Credit Karma or Equifax, but unlike last year, it no longer costs the user money to do so.
“You used to be charged $10 to flip the switch both ways, but with federal rules, that was dropped,” Phillips said.
Phillips added, locking your credit doesn’t stop you from making everyday purchases.
“You can continue to use your credit cards like you always would have because it doesn’t affect how much credit you can use,”Phillips said.
Jennifer Cantar of Rochester said she thinks it’s a good idea, but hasn’t tried it yet.
“I’ll think about it,” she said. “I think it’s sad people steal from other people.”
