October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Keep your information secure with tips from the Office of Information Technology.
Effective this year, individuals can now place a freeze on their credit at no cost. Your first question may be, “What is a credit freeze?” It’s easier than it sounds, and it is the best way to prevent malicious actors from using your personal information to open new accounts in your name.
When individuals freeze their credit, a credit bureau cannot provide any information about the individual to a lender until the individual elects to thaw the freeze. Prior to federal legislation approved in September, individuals were required to pay a $10 fee each time their credit was frozen or thawed. Now, individuals can freeze and thaw their credit with no fee.
Individuals can freeze their credit with Equifax, TransUnion and Experian for free. OIT recommends placing a freeze at all three bureaus. Visit their websites directly to establish the freeze.
- Equifax – https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
- Experian – https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
- TransUnion – https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
When a freeze is established with each bureau, the bureau will provide a PIN or secure identification code to secure the account. Individuals can then provide that PIN to the bureau when ready to thaw the credit.
An individual may need to thaw the credit when making a large purchase or requesting a loan. When making a purchase that requires a credit check, the individual should simply ask the lenders which credit bureau they use, thaw the freeze with that bureau only, then re-freeze credit after the purchase is made.
To learn more about credit freezes, visit the Federal Trade Commission website.
October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. OIT will be posting cyber safety tips throughout the month. For more information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month, visit the National Cyber Security Alliance’s website https://staysafeonline.org.