We do a lot of things in the name of security. We lock our doors, give our accounts complicated passwords and track our checked luggage with AirTags.
But one thing we may overlook in our security efforts is our credit — and it's something we should pay attention to. It seems there are always new reports of data breaches, and chances are good that our credit information has been exposed by now.
Although it's nearly impossible to completely safeguard your personal information, credit freezes and fraud alerts can provide extra layers of protection. However, they will not eliminate the threat, and invoking either will require additional action on your part if or when you decide to apply for a new line of credit, whether that's a credit card or something like a home mortgage or auto loan.
With all that in mind, you might wonder: Is the inconvenience worth the extra effort? To help you answer that question, here are the differences between credit freezes and fraud alerts and how they affect credit applications.
A fraud alert is just that: an alert. It still allows you to open a line of credit, but it ensures that an extra security measure is taken.
A credit freeze is more intense. With a credit freeze in place, no one, including you, can open a line of credit in your name until the credit freeze is lifted.
Related: How to check your credit score for free
A fraud alert is an alert on your credit record that requires creditors to take an additional step to validate your identity before approving you for a new line of credit.
When lenders request a copy of your credit report from Equifax, Experian or TransUnion, they will see the fraud alert. The alert informs lenders that they need to take extra steps to verify you are indeed the person who is applying for credit.
Related: Credit cards that offer a pause button and when to use it
There are three types of fraud alerts:
Setting a fraud alert is a relatively low-effort way to add security to your credit. You simply need to contact one of the three major credit bureaus to set a fraud alert on your credit. Each one is required to notify the others of the fraud alert, so there is no need to contact more than one.
Related: How I learned that my credit card number was stolen
A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report. While your credit freeze is in effect, you cannot open a new credit account unless you temporarily lift (or "thaw") the freeze. This extra step is inconvenient but will make it harder for a fraudster to attempt to open new lines of credit in your name.
Even if a freeze is in place, your current creditors and debt collectors, as well as government agencies, will be able to access your credit report, and you can still do things such as
The website maxtravelz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate credit cards to write unbiased product reviews.
Airbnb is taking themed accommodations to the next level with its new Icons category, featuring a collection of stays that offer an immersive experience centered around music, film, television, art, sports and more.
Last week, Southwest’s CEO Bob Jordan ignited a flurry of headlines when he suggested that the struggling airline could make changes to some of its long-standing policies in an attempt to increase ancillary revenue.
Sausages with sauerkraut. Dumplings as big as snowballs. Schnitzels the size of boots. Pretzels bigger than your head. And foaming tankards of Bier – glorious Bier!
Actress Samantha Pauly is starring as Jordan Baker in the hot new Broadway musical “The Great Gatsby,” based on the famous F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. The show opened April 25th.
Thinking about travel to Europe this summer? I’ll whisper this two-word, game-changing suggestion in your ear: Swiss Bliss. Switzerland is a spectacular vacation escape, promising plentiful pampering, playful diversions, culture (music festivals, art experiences, unique museums—from sports to science, film to food) and stellar gastronomy. Taste Chasselas wine; its white grapes are grown in the terraced Lavaux vineyards along the south-facing northern shores of Lake Geneva, where vintners produce artisanal batches that are rarely exported, so 98 percent of their singular sips can only be savored within the country. Discover abundant natural beauty and peaceful hideaways. Hike Alpine mountains. Swim in glistening lakes. Picnic amid wildflower meadows. For high-speed outings, ample opportunities abound: boating, road cycling, mountain biking, paragliding, skydiving and white-water rafting. Transportation within this tidy nation, especially via its SBB trains, is smooth and swift, accessing scores of destinations. (For itinerary details and surprising delights: My Switzerland Tourism.) Internationally renowned for training extraordinary hoteliers, hospitality is a revered profession, which adds smiles to your stay. Choose from a wide variety of accommodations—campgrounds to chalets to castles. If your vacay preference tends toward one-of-a-kind, five-star hotels, this article shines on three favorites, which are among French entrepreneur and winemaker Michel Reybier’s impressive collection of wellness-promoting properties.
As the sun descended into the horizon, a Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Island speedboat whisked us to a secluded sandbank that, at first sight, was deserted. Our arrival, however, revealed a solitary pergola draped in gauzy fabric and adorned with fresh flowers, moving in the breeze.
Looking to establish itself as the number 1 online travel agency in Southeast Asia, Air Asia Move, previously known as AirAsia superapp, announced the launch of its ASEAN Explorer Pass on Thursday.
Next month, Nick Ozemba and Felicia Hung, the co-founders of the Brooklyn-based design studio In Common With, plan to open Quarters, a shop housed in a 19th-century TriBeCa loft. The 8,000-square-foot space is laid out like a well-appointed home: Guests enter through the library and can wander the great room, bedroom, dining room, kitchen, bar and lounge at their leisure. Everything within — furniture, lighting, art and even the pantry provisions — is available for purchase. Ozemba and Hung collaborated with several of their creative friends on the objects and décor that fill the space. They designed the tiling throughout with the New York City-based artist Shane Gabler, while a fresco depicting eels with earrings by the painter Claudio Bonuglia adorns a portion of the bar and lounge, which will open for evening service beginning this summer. The furniture on display is a mix of restored vintage pieces and new designs by Ozemba and Hung, some of which can be customized with imagery drawn up by various tattoo artists. “We’ll be able to sit down with people and play,” Ozemba says of the space’s potential to spur conversation and inspire new projects. “Retail shouldn’t be so serious. Take off your shoes and have a glass of wine.”