Consider Placing a Security “Freeze” On Your Cred-
it Report
If you are not planning to seek new credit in the near
future, you may want to consider placing a “freeze” on
your credit report as a protection against identity thieves
opening credit in your name. Contact Equifax, Experian,
and TransUnion and ask that they put a freeze on your
credit reports. A freeze prevents prospective creditors
from accessing your credit file unless you lift the freeze
for that creditor or for a specified period of time. Typi-
cally, creditors won’t offer you credit if they can’t access
your credit reporting file, so a freeze prevents you or
others from opening accounts in your name. You should
also consider doing this for your children as well to pre-
vent them from becoming the victims of identity theft,
especially since such identify theft may not be discov-
ered for years.
Maryland consumers may place a freeze on their credit
reports from all three credit reporting agencies, free of
charge. Credit freezes may also be lifted, known as a
“thaw,” free of charge. For further information on how to
freeze your credit report, see our identity theft website.
You Don’t Need to Pay for Credit Monitoring
Many companies that promise free credit reports want
to sign you up for credit monitoring services or other
products. Some companies will sign you up for a credit
monitoring service when you order a “free” credit report
if you do not follow the instructions provided above.
Make sure to read any fine print before submitting a re-
quest, ESPECIALLY if the request requires your credit
card number, because the companies charge a fee for the
monitoring service. You can take these free or lower cost
steps to protect yourself.
• Monitor your credit yourself by staggering when
you order your free credit reports. For example,
you could visit www.annualcreditreport.com in
January to get your Experian report, in March to
check your Equifax report, and again in August
to get your TransUnion report. You could order
your free credit reports under Maryland law by
contacting the credit reporting companies direct-
ly in other months. By rotating your requests this
way, you can keep a periodic eye on your credit
records for free.
• Put the freeze on identity thieves: You do not
need to pay a credit monitoring service to stop
thieves from opening accounts with your in-
formation. Contact Equifax, Experian, and
TransUnion and ask that they put a freeze
on your credit reports.
• Request a fraud alert: If you believe that you have
been or are about to become the victim of iden-
tity theft or fraud, you can place a fraud alert on
your credit report. A fraud alert requires lenders to
take steps to verify your identity before opening a
new account in your name, or issuing an addition-
al credit card, or increasing the credit limit on an
existing account. You can also provide a telephone
number so lenders can call you to verify your
identity. (A fraud alert does not prevent a lender
from opening credit in your name.)
• Service members: If you are a member of the mili-
tary on active duty, you may place an “active-duty
alert” on your credit report to reduce the risk of
identity theft while you are deployed. This alert
lets a business know that you are probably out of
the country, so the business is required to take rea-
sonable steps to verify your identity before issu-
ing credit in your name. More information about
active-duty alerts can be found on Ask CFPB at
www.consumerfinance.gov/askcfpb/.
If you have complaints or concerns about a credit mon-
itoring service, contact the Federal Trade Commission,
877-FTC-HELP.
Consumer Protection Division
200 St. Paul Place, 16th Fl., Baltimore, MD 21202
• General Consumer Complaints: 410-528-8662
Toll-free: 1-888-743-0023 TDD: 410-576-6372
9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday-Friday
www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/CPD/
• Health Consumer Complaints: 410-528-1840
Toll-free: 1-877-261-8807 TDD: 410-576-6372
9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
www.marylandcares.org
• For information on branch oces in Largo, Salisbury,
Hagerstown, and a full list of oces across Maryland, visit:
www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/contactus.aspx
How to contact us
The Consumer’s Edge is produced by the Maryland Attorney
General’s Office. Reproductions are encouraged.
Maryland
Attorney General
Anthony G. Brown
www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov