New Texas law that allows better defense against identity theft.

The new law recently took effect that basically states that individuals have the right to have their credit report frozen without a police report. This is big news because if your credit report is frozen then a identity theif can’t take out a loan or get credit in your name because no one can check your credit history. This obviously makes getting a loan much more difficult and the likeliness that a thief can produce pay stubs for the past 6 months and meet all of  a lenders pre-requisites without a credit check… well it’s just much less likely to go through.

This new law is a big deal in my opinion because it is a more proactive approach to the identity theft problem. Before this law Texans had to actually already have been victimized to have their report frozen. To me that’s like saying you have to have your house burned to the ground to get fire hazard insurance, it just doesn’t make sense.

How Do I Freeze My Credit Report?

Step 1) Send request via certified mail to each of the three national credit bureaus. That would be:

• Experian:
  • Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013.
  • Also include previous addresses for the past two years and $10.83 – the fee plus sales tax.
• Equifax
  • CSC Credit Security Freeze, P.O. Box 674438, Houston, TX 77267-4438
  • Include the fee of $10.
• TransUnion
  • TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department, Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834.
  • There is a $10 fee.

Make sure to include the following:

1. Social Security Number
2. Full Name
3. Birth Date
4. Current Address
5. Government issued identification card, such as a driver’s license, state or military ID card,
6. Verification of Address such as a copy of a utility bill, bank or insurance statement
7. Copy of police report if you are already a victim, this will prevent you from having to pay a fee unlike non-victims

We would love to hear what you think about this new law! Please leave your comments below.

Tags: new identity theft law, new texas law credit fraud, texas identity theft law| Posted in Texas |

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