Lake Wales Residents: Freeze Credit to Fight Identity Theft

Lake Wales residents can protect their personal information and combat identity theft by using credit freezes and fraud alerts. These tools offer different levels of security for financial protection.

A credit freeze restricts access to a person's credit report. Lenders and creditors cannot view the report, which is required to open new accounts. For victims of identity theft, a credit freeze prevents thieves from opening additional fraudulent accounts in their name.

Fraud alerts notify potential creditors that a consumer may be a victim of identity theft. When a creditor receives a credit request using a consumer's identity, they must verify the identity before extending credit. This helps prevent new fraudulent accounts.

Understanding how to place a freeze or alert and their duration is important. Individuals choose between a credit freeze and a fraud alert based on their specific circumstances and concerns about identity theft.