The Covid-19 crisis has sparkled a rise in identity theft crimes and has drastically increased the demand for credit monitoring. Hackers have been actively exploiting the confusion around the stimulus checks, the enormous amount of unemployed people across the USA applying for benefits, and the fact that millions of people were forced to start working from home.
While businesses of all sizes have always been a target for hackers, all these factors caused by the pandemic increased cyber-attacks targeting individuals. Hackers love easy targets, and people are more likely to slip up during stressful times. In an effort to increase credit awareness and help prevent fraud, the three major credit bureaus in the USA now offer free weekly credit report checks. The offer expires in April 2021. This is undoubtedly an improvement, as in the past, credit bureaus only offered one free check a year.
How to take advantage of the free credit report checks offer?
All users need to do is register at AnnualCreditReport.com. Keeping an eye on your credit reports would help you stay on top of your finances, spot identity theft, help you react to any suspicious activity in a timely manner, and give you peace of mind in these turbulent times.
If you rarely use your credit and are not planning on using it anytime soon, you may even consider freezing all credit reports. Locking your profiles with Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion stops fraudsters from being able to commit fraud such as; using your credentials to open new bank accounts and credit cards; applying for some benefits; or getting approved for loans and mortgages. Seeing your credit ruined and knowing that somewhere a criminal is driving around a new BMW bought with your stolen identity is something you do not want to experience.
How does the credit report freeze work?
When someone tries to use your SSN and name for a loan or other activity that requires a credit check, the request simply gets declined if your credit is frozen. If you wish to consider freezing your credit, you have to contact all three major bureaus individually. According to the Attorney General, credit bureaus must comply with online or telephonic requests for a security freeze within one business day of receiving them.
Staying on top of your credit report is a must if you live in the USA. Maintaining a high credit score ensures you always get the best mortgage and loan rates when you need them. With an excellent credit score, you are always able to get approved for the credit card of your choice too. Landlords often check credit reports before renting out apartments, and sometimes employers review credit information while considering a new hire.
Disputing a change on your credit file with a credit bureau can be a tedious process. Being familiar with your credit profile and having proper antivirus software installed on your smart devices is a must should you want to spend your time doing what you love, rather than trying to fix what is already broken.
15 comments
There was a card account # that was linked to my cap one account , It is not mine!
I’ve had a very positive experience with credit brainiac . repair gmail c()m. This group worked hard and got all inquires erased from my credit in just a short time including fixing my payment history. I got great results, my credit score has improved. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and i can now go on with my life without debts troubling my mind. My mom was able to secure a small business loan with their help. Honest and hardworking hackers.
Plz consider debt review removal as well
Since there is run around with lawyers after we payed them full
Kindly help me, i want to know what stop be from getting car finance.
I’m a new bank account holder just about 3 months in uk dont know well .
I applied for a loan in a online company they offered me but ultimately I turn back from it .
Because my guarantor was not happy about it .
I believe Because of this I got cifas mark .
They all allow these debt collectors to put refreshed old debts and create collections out of nothing….we do not have adequate platforms to dispute any of thi s….they want to sanitize and monetize all our information data…
Please look at me credit. My scores should in the 700’s, shouldn’t been in the 500’s. Please look in into why my scores are in the 500’s . Something is not right.
I Shane Green, my check scores should be in the 700’s, not 500’s
No-one will look at it unless you pay them. And a lot of the people who do that are really scamming you (they cannot actually help, they just take your money).
The only exception is that some cities have a FREE service (sort of like free legal services) where you can go for help.
Your best chance is to learn about how credit scores work, then study yours, and try to figure out what is causing the problem. Or find someone who will do it for you. But beware of the many people who say they will do that if you pay them, then do nothing helpful.
The system is totally broken. The wealthy are not affected by it (they can “just” pay their lawyer a few thousand to fix any problem that pops up for them, and that’s not enough money to care about for them). So it will not get fixed any time soon.
Good luck! The sad truth is you’re going to need it.
Help. My Ck acct was frauded. I eported it to Wells Fargo. I ended up closing ck acct 4xs and still. Someone took out a loan with amplify funding now Lundmo back in Oct. I was in Rehab from a stroke.
This comes in handy as most suffer the consequences of economy shrinking severely during this time
Will appreciate your response regarding my credit profile
I totally Understand how you feel , if I was in your shoes I will feel the same way . But like I explained nobody can know If a credit file will need this program until you build the credit data and file the information on it , all locations in the United States are verified and I’m very sure there will be no other charges once we authenticate this data.
While surfing on the internet, I came across a comment of this expert helping So many people get their credit fixed and I decided to give
Him a try because my poor credit was 480 and I had so many negative items impacting my credit. To my greatest surprise he increased my credit score up to
795 and removed all the negatives I had on my credit report. Now I just got approved for a loan to my a new home . You can also reach him on his email
(Aceteamcredit AT gmail . Com)
I needed a new car for my mum but the loan companies kept denying me because of my bad credit, I was really frustrated before I came in contact with
ACETEAM, he raised my credit score up to 783 and permanently removed all the negatives on my credit report. All the charge offs, eviction , school loans I had disappeared in 3 weeks. (aceteamcredit @ gmail . Com ) saved me as I just got qualified for the car loan . You can also reach his email if you need your credit fixed.