What is a credit freeze, and should you have one?

A credit freeze locks your credit file so no lender can pull it to open a new account, which stops the core identity-theft crime, someone opening cards or loans as you, at the vault door. Since a 2018 federal law, freezing and unfreezing are free at all three bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and you must do each separately, online in minutes.

The catch is smaller than people fear: when you apply for credit yourself, you thaw the file temporarily, also free, also minutes. Your existing cards keep working, your score is untouched, and checking your own credit still works. Given that the major bureaus themselves have been breached, exposing the exact data needed to impersonate you, the freeze is the rare security measure that is free, effective, and mildly inconvenient at worst. Freeze all three, and your kids' files too, which thieves prize for their clean history.