Identity theft keeps finding new ways to ruin a perfectly normal day. One minute everything looks fine, and the next, a credit card appears in someone else’s name, a loan application shows up unexpectedly, or a debt collector starts calling about an account that never existed. According to federal data, millions of Americans report identity theft each year, making it one of the most common consumer complaints in the country.
The good news is that consumers have access to a powerful tool that costs absolutely nothing. A credit freeze may sound complicated, but it remains one of the simplest and most effective ways to stop criminals from opening new accounts using stolen personal information. While no security measure offers a 100% guarantee, a credit freeze creates a major roadblock that many identity thieves simply cannot get around.
