https://www.optout.ws/categories/id-protection/Recent content in ID Protection on OptOut.wsHugo -- gohugo.ioenOptOut.wsWed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.optout.ws/post/how-to-freeze-your-credit/Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.optout.ws/post/how-to-freeze-your-credit/ <h2 id="the-single-most-effective-anti-fraud-move-is-free">The Single Most Effective Anti-Fraud Move Is Free</h2> <p>A credit freeze — also called a security freeze — restricts access to your credit report, which means lenders cannot pull it to open a new account in your name. Because almost every new credit card, loan, or line of credit requires a hard inquiry first, a freeze stops most new-account identity theft before it starts. The Federal Trade Commission calls it <a href="https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts">the best way to protect against new-account fraud</a>.</p>