


Q: I froze my credit last year because I was worried about identity theft after a data breach. But now I want to buy a new car and need to unfreeze my credit report so I can apply for a car loan. How do I thaw my credit freeze?
A: A credit freeze can be a pivotal step to protect yourself from identity theft. When you have a freeze on your credit reports, lenders can’t view them in response to an application for new credit — and that helps prevent criminals from opening credit card or loan accounts in your name.
But as long as a freeze is in place, you can’t access new lines of credit, either. (Note that you can still pull up your own credit reports when they’re frozen, and lenders can check your reports to manage accounts you already have with them. Additionally, certain other entities, such as employers who want to analyze a job candidate’s credit history or landlords who need to screen a potential tenant’s credit, may be able to access credit reports while a freeze is in place.)
If you’re preparing to shop for a loan or credit card, you can temporarily lift your credit freeze. Just as with placing a freeze, lifting it is free.
If you need to lift your credit freeze, ask the lender or institution which credit report it checks. You may get away with removing the freeze at only one of the major credit-reporting companies rather than all three (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). If you expect to apply with multiple lenders, however — say, because you’re shopping for the lowest rate on a mortgage or auto loan — you may have to lift the freeze with two or more of the companies.
If you have online accounts with the credit-reporting companies, you can use them to thaw your freeze; log in to your Experian account at www.experian.com/freeze/center.html, Equifax at www. equi fax.com/personal/credit-report- services and TransUnion at www.transunion.com/credit-freeze. Alternatively, you can call Experian, 888-397-3742; Equifax, 888-298-0045; and TransUnion, 800-916-8800. You may need to verify your identity by answering security questions. In response to online and phone requests, the credit-reporting companies must lift a freeze within one hour (usually, it happens right away).