Equifax Offers File Freeze
November 5, 2007
Starting October 31, 2007, Equifax will offer consumers across the nation the option of freezing and unfreezing their credit information. Equifax is the largest credit reporting agency in the US.
This action will close the gap that once existed between those states that allowed this procedure and those that did not carry the option for consumers. The new plan allows Equifax users in eleven states as well as Puerto Rico to now freeze or unfreeze their credit files. Consumers located in the remaining thirty-nine states may continue to utilize the credit information freeze options as they are stated in their individual state laws.
Equifax is not the only reporting agency now offering this important feature to consumers. As more and more consumers become aware of abuses by certain individuals and companies gaining access to financial history reports, more reporting agencies are allowing consumers to lock their files to prevent unauthorized or arbitrary access. Consumers who lock their files will, of course, have to unlock them for legitimate use should they need to do so.
Those agencies that are now offering freeze options have posted detailed instructions on their websites. Consumers interested in this process should carefully read the instructions for more information