How To Freeze Your Credit

Credit monitoring company equifax recently reported a data breach which impacted 143 million American consumers’ credit reports. According to reports, fraudsters may already be trying to use the breached data. Before you sign up for the Equifax premier account consider reading the fine print. As an equifax premier account holder, you are guaranteed 1 year premium service, but what happens after the year is up? Do you start getting billed? Doesn’t seem fair does it.

As consumers we also do not have answers as to the long term effects of the data breach or answers on why several equifax executives sold stocks prior to the announcement which is also another reason for concerns. Before you sign up for equifax premier, consider your other options. If someone already signed up for the premier account, opt out.

Otherwise, consider placing a freeze on your account instead. If you are not actively seeking credit it a good option to prevent others from opening accounts in your name. Eva is an award winning tech entrepreneur, Publisher of Tech Life Magazine and Chief Connector at The Blogger Society Influencer Network where she connects brands, small business, nonprofits and Freelance Content Developers. She writes about the intersectionality of technology and splits her time between engineering and social innovation.

A tip for cosigner is to control payments; you must do this if you take this leap of faith. However, once you become a cosigner, there is hardly a way out so make sure before you commit. Remember, there is a reason someone is approaching you for help as a cosigner; it means they were turned down for credit on their own.

If it’s a bad risk in the eyes of a lender, it is probably a bad risk for you too. Nathan Randall, editor, DailyDollar Newsletter provides free daily advice on money matters plus coupons and discount codes. FYI…you can now access the DailyDollar Newsletter via iTunes podcast, YouTube video, and on Facebook and Twitter too.

Have you ever heard about credit fraud? If this is your first time to hear about it, then you should be wary about your credit, because you might be a victim of one as we speak. You have made a very wise financial decision the decision to monitor your credit reports.

Are you thinking of ways on how you can rebuild your credit? Why not avail of a credit monitoring service? Credit monitoring allows you to control your finances by giving a clear picture of your credit standing all the time. Have you been a victim of identity theft in the past?

If you have credit monitoring this will not just stop identity theft it will actually prevent it from happening. How does credit monitoring prevent and stop theft? Since you are given updates about your credit standing all the time credit keepers make it quicker for you to see any dubious entry.

Thus you can request for a credit freeze right away until you can validate the suspicious activity. Moreover, the updates will also inform you who requested for your credit score, what loans or credit was applied for, and where. These are very handy information to trace and stop someone trying to make a victim out of you.

Monitoring your debt is an excellent tool in building back your credit standing. Though these are tough times economically, it is never too late to start sweeping away all the bad credit. Having a tool that will help you keep tabs of your debt is an awesome way to start. With instant access to your credit report you can definitely make adjustments when it comes to your spending. One of the reasons why most people tend to go overboard with their expenses is the inability to keep tab with their spending.

However, with a credit keeper you are given the power to be on top of the situation all the time. The most important benefit of signing up for a credit service is peace of mind. It cannot be denied that having a credit keeper can protect you against scrupulous individuals at the same time you get to fully control your spending.

Thus you get to focus on something really important and that is building back your credit rating. One of the common questions about credit monitoring is "should I subscribe for my credit keeper or go for free service?" A free service is good because, well, its free. Thus if you are confident with your credit standing and does not mind the limited information so long as its free then you can sign up with these types of services right away. However, if you want better protection and better control then a paid subscription is definitely the answer.

— Ahead of three changes to what Equifax is offering consumers following its breach of 145 million consumer records, U.S. PIRG is urging consumers to get free credit freezes with Equifax by January 31st if they haven’t already. “Getting credit freezes at all three national credit bureaus is the best action consumers can take after the Equifax breach, whether they were affected by it or not,” said Mike Litt, Consumer Campaign Director with U.S. TrustedID Premier: January 31st is the last day to sign up for TrustedID Premier, Equifax’s initial offer after the breach.

It provides one year of free services such as credit monitoring. It doesn’t hurt to sign up for these services. However, you should know they are limited and, at best, only alert you to identity theft after it has occurred.Therefore, we also recommend you freeze your credit reports with all three national credit bureaus. Equifax Credit Freeze: January 31st is also the last day Equifax will waive the fee it normally charges consumers to get credit freezes on their Equifax credit reports.