There is a fee to "freeze" your credit? Or just to UN-freeze it? Should you contact all 3 credit bureaus?
Answer:
It really depends on your state. Today, there is no national credit freeze laws, so states have enacted their own laws. you can see a list the states that have credit freeze laws at: http://blog.trustedid.com/?page_id=15. But it actually gets more complicated than that. Because in some states it's free to place credit freezes if you're over 65 (Louisana) and in many states (Texas, California) it's free to place a credit freeze if you are the vicitim of identity theft (but you'll need to send the credit bureaus a copy of your police report). Also, in other states (NJ) it is free to place a credit freeze for anyone, but it costs money to unfreeze your credit report.
Generally, though, the standard is $10 to freeze your credit reports at each of the three credit bureaus and then another $10 to unfreeze your credit reports. But they automoatically refreeze, so you don't get hit for yet another fee to get them locked again.
Also, keep in mind that it often takes a day or two to unfreeze your credit reports successfully, especially if you are trying to do it when buying a car at 8 PM on a Friday evening (credit bureaus are closed on the weekend!). It's a really useful tool for preventing ID theft, but you have to plan ahead!
You probably should contact all three. Click on the link below to get some basic information.
You have to contact all three. You also pay a fee to both freeze and unfreeze your account at each individal one. It can get expensive but is worth it if worried about ID theft.
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