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Utahns concerned about the security of their credit now have a new line of defense. You can now freeze your credit so that only you control who has access and when. Utah's attorney general and a state senator today talked about the fastest credit freeze law in the country.
Cleanup after an identity theft costs the victim an average of 600 hours of work and plenty of money to clean up, and they might not get a lot of help from law enforcement. So, protecting your credit and credit rating is critical.
Want to protect your credit and good name? Put it on ice until you want to thaw it and use it. Sen. Carlene Walker, said, "It is a proactive, preventative way of keeping identity thieves away from your life."
Walker and Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff talked about the new credit freeze law surrounded by ice at the Salt Lake County Ice Center. "It's the fastest tool in the nation to protect Utah consumers," Shurtleff said.
By law you can now freeze or thaw your credit in 15 minutes electronically. That's the fastest cycle in the country. It makes it so you can use your credit quickly when you want to buy a car or apply for a home loan. "This law will leave identity thieves out in the cold and help countless consumers experience the warm glow of good credit," Shurtleff said.
Here's how to freeze your credit:
- Contact the three credit bureaus online or on the phone.
- Sign up with your name, date of birth and Social Security Number.
- Pay $10 to set it up and get a password.
- Use the password to unfreeze credit, to open a new credit account and make purchases.
No one can use your credit without your knowledge. The freeze does not affect ongoing lines of credit or credit monitoring services. Some companies, like insurance companies, are exempt and will still have access to noncredit related issues.
Assistant Attorney General Rich Hamp calls it the best tool to protect your identity. He said, "It's something every consumer can do. It's something we at least recommend every consumer take a look at to see if it's right for them."
We put the links for each of the three credit bureaus in the related links section to the right. Click on them to sign up to freeze your credit.
E-mail: jboal@ksl.com
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
