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Freeze your credit: a way to safeguard your identity

There's a way to stop identity fraud from even happening.

It's called credit freezing, but what is it and is it available?

WAFF 48's Robyn Mcglohn has more on a service that could save your identity.

Imagine your identity stolen.

For some nine million people each year it happens, and it's almost always a tear jerker.

"There's Kleenex there for a reason, because people are crying."

Ronda Williams sees it first hand every day.

A jar of cut-up credit cards sits on her desk, a testimony of what could happen.

"Identity theft can not just mess you up for months, it can mess you up for years," says Williams.

Years that you might not be able to buy a cell phone, a car, even a home.

The only way to fix it is with patience and time; wasted time that could have been prevented.

Shredding sensitive documents, checking your credit often and being extra caution online are the easiest ways to avoid identity theft, but there's one way called credit freezing that's easier than all three put together.

"Credit freezing will stop people from actually opening up new accounts without your permission," says Williams.

Twenty five states have already adopted the service.

Unfortunately it's not offered in Alabama, but that soon may change.

In the last year a bill has been introduced into legislature that would "allow a consumer to place a security freeze on his or her credit report; to provide a method of releasing the freeze; and to provide for exceptions."

But make no mistake, a freeze isn't free, "There are charges per agency to put a freeze and then also if you want to unfreeze that account," says Williams.

A decision left solely to the consumer.