CreditLock.com

Becoming a victim of Identity Theft can be a very costly experience, both financially and emotionally. What many individuals do not realize, is that there are many free or low cost tools they can utilize to deter Identity Theft. With the exception of a very few entities, such tools are rarely publicized by Identity Theft Protection companies. Four such very valuable tools are: A- National Do Not Call Registry, B- Opt-Out Pre-Screen, C- Free Annual Credit Report and D- Credit Freeze.

National Do Not Call Registry and Opt-Out Pre-Screen are free services which help individuals by reducing the risk of their sensitive information being collected by Identity Theft criminals. Meanwhile, Free Annual Credit Report provides individuals the ability to monitor their Credit Report for free, once a year, in order to detect any Credit Report suspicious activity. Finally, Credit Freeze allows individuals to freeze access to their Credit Report, hence disabling Identity Theft criminals from opening new Credit accounts in their victims' names. Such service is typically free for Identity Theft victims. For non Identity Theft victims, Credit Freeze costs anywhere from nothing, to about $20 per Credit Bureau, depending on State of residency (with the cost in the majority of states being mostly between $0 and $10 per Credit Bureau). Details on availability of Credit Freeze, and state-by-state costs, can be found at http://www.creditlock.com/creditlockdownpro.html .

The National Do Not Call List, also known as National Do Not Call Registry, is a list compiled by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), comprising of phone numbers of consumers who have requested not to be called by telemarketers. Telemarketers covered by the National Do Not Call List have up to 31 days from the date that the number was added to the Registry to stop calling such number. Consumers who continue to receive calls after 31 days can file a complaint online with the FTC.

By limiting telemarketing telephone calls, you reduce the likelihood that you, or someone in your family, give away sensitive personal information over the telephone to a stranger. Consumers who add their telephone number to such list can always choose to remove it at a later time.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) permits Credit Reporting Companies to provide Creditors or Insurers your name for the purpose of making you firm offers of Credit or Insurance unsolicited by you. The FCRA also grants you the right to opt-out, preventing Credit Reporting Companies from providing your Credit file information for use in such offers. Consumers typically receive such "pre-screened" or "pre-approved" offers through mail, email, or telephone.

In such free Opt-Out service, consumers can choose to opt-out for 5 years, or Permanently. Consumers who have opted-out can also change their mind and opt-in. Requests for opt-out are processed within 5 days, but consumers may continue to receive pre-screened offers for 60 days. 

Consumers can receive a free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer credit reporting companies in accordance with the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act). Although this free report is a valuable service, since it is limited to once every 12 months, you may not be able to credit monitor your report on a daily, weekly or monthly basis (in such case, you have to subscribe to a Credit Monitoring service). You may request your free report online, by phone or by mail. Online requests are viewable immediately upon identity authentication, while phone and mail requests are processed within 15 days.

Finally, another great Identity Theft prevention tool is a Credit Freeze, also known as Security Freeze and Credit Lock. In 2003, California became the first state in the US to give its residents the right to initiate Credit Locking /Credit Freezing / Security Freeze. Other States followed California: Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. Additional states also passed such laws, expected to become effective in the second half of this year, and in later years.

When you initiate a Credit Freeze / Credit Lock / Security Freeze, access to your Credit Report is blocked. Credit Reporting agencies will provide you a PIN necessary to remove such Credit Lock / Credit Freeze / Security Freeze. You can authorize access to your Credit Report through PIN protected temporary removal or permanent removal of the Credit Lock / Credit Freeze / Security Freeze.
 
Lenders typically require to see your Credit Report before issuing a loan in your name. If lenders cannot see your Credit Report, it is unlikely they will issue a loan in your name. Hence, Credit Locking / Credit Freezing / Security Freeze should reduce the risk that loans (credit cards) will be issued fraudulently in your name. This should reduce Credit Card Fraud.

Consumers who are interested in any of these free or low cost Identity Theft prevention services can find substantial information, links, screen shots, and relevant telephone numbers and website addresses at a website specializing in Identity Theft protection and prevention, http://www.creditlock.com .