It's about to get easier for consumers living in some states to use a security freeze to prevent identity thieves from damaging their credit records. By September 1, laws in Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C. will require credit bureaus to make the security freeze more convenient to use.
"A security freeze is the best way for consumers to protect their credit records from identity thieves," said Gail Hillebrand. "We expect more consumers will take advantage of security freeze protection as it becomes easier to use."
Every day, some 22,000 Americans have their identities stolen. In about a third of those cases, crooks use the information to open new accounts in their victim's name. Armed with just a victim's name and Social Security number, a thief can open fraudulent accounts and start charging away, leaving behind a damaged credit record, which may take years to repair.
