Should you freeze your credit? Probably!

Our focus this month is protecting yourself, and your money, from fraud. For most people (but not all!) freezing your credit is a simple and very effective way to do that. Freezing your credit simply prevents any new creditors from accessing your credit report. If a credit card company can’t check your credit, they won’t open a new card in your name – whether it’s really you applying for it or not.

Not everyone should freeze their credit right now. If you’re applying for a mortgage, car loan, renting a new apartment, or otherwise need your credit to be accessible soon, you should wait. But if you don’t need your credit accessible right now, it’s a simple process.

How does it work? We have all the details right here, but the most important things to know are that it’s free, it doesn’t hurt your credit score, and you can un-freeze and re-freeze as you need to.