September 30th, 2017 by WCBC Radio
Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh is reminding Maryland residents of a new law effective October 1st that provides consumers the right to place a freeze on their credit reports free of charge. “A credit freeze is one of the most effective methods of protecting yourself against identity theft,” said Attorney General Frosh. “The recent Equifax data breach is a clear example of why consumers should use every available resource to help keep their personal information out of the hands of identity thieves.”
A credit freeze prevents anyone from seeing your credit report without your express permission. If a potential creditor can’t see your credit report, they are less likely to open a new credit card, cellphone, utility or other account at the request of an identity thief. A credit freeze remains in effect until the consumer decides to remove it.
Equifax, which suffered a recent data breach affecting 143 million consumers, is currently offering free credit freezes to consumers. To place a credit freeze through Equifax, consumers may go to https://www.freeze.equifax.com or by calling 1-800-685-1111.
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