New Hampshire Identity Theft Prevention Easier in 2007
All consumers in Illinois, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have a new tool available to prevent identity theft. The legislatures in these five states passed laws, which become effective tomorrow, providing consumers with a procedure to place a "credit freeze" on their credit reports with Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. Hawaii and Kansas also passed laws that will be effective tomorrow allowing only identity theft victims, not all consumers, a means to freeze their credit reports.
As identity theft continues to plague consumers nationwide, 18 other states have passed credit freeze statutes which are already effective. Utah also passed a credit freeze statute which will not be effective until January 1, 2008.
Everyone should be watching their credit reports for errors and be on the lookout for any signs of identity theft. Consumers who have recently filed for bankruptcy should be especially careful since many lenders may be contacting them to setup up accounts.
I've used one for the last 6 months. It's a great way to monitor your credit score also.