09-12-2008, 05:23 PM
[#0000ff][size 4]As all of you know identity theft is a major problem. Everyone should be aware of the new Utah law. I have frozen my credit. If you are going to be frequently requesting credit you will want to weigh the risk of having someone steal your identity over the minor expense and hassle of freezing and unfreezing your files on a regular basis. $30 is a small price to pay to hopefully prevent someone from stealing my identity and all of the problems that would create.
"New law lets Utahns protect their credit ratings more easily By Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated:09/11/2008 06:48:38 AM MDT Posted: 6:48 AM- Utahns can protect their credit ratings more conveniently now that the state has enacted a law requiring credit bureaus to freeze and unfreeze credit in a matter of minutes. "We encourage everybody in Utah to call the credit bureaus," said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Wednesday. Credit "freezing" - putting a hold on new lines of credit - has been available through credit bureaus since late last year. The freeze prevents identity thieves from using another person's credit to make purchases. New lines of credit can be opened only with an identification number given to the borrower who initiates the freeze. Until now, credit bureaus have taken up to three days to respond to a request to "thaw" a consumer's credit and qualify them for new purchases, Shurtleff said. That meant anyone who protected their credit with a freeze had to wait, for instance, to buy furniture or open a cell phone account, he said. A newly implemented Utah law reduces the wait to 15 minutes, Shurtleff said. Each of the three major credit bureaus charges $10 to freeze an account. Details are available at their Web sites: [/size][/#0000ff][url "http://www.equifax.com/"][#0000ff][size 4]www.equifax.com[/size][/#0000ff][/url][#0000ff][size 4], [/size][/#0000ff][url "http://www.experian.com/"][#0000ff][size 4]www.experian.com[/size][/#0000ff][/url][#0000ff][size 4] and [/size][/#0000ff][url "http://www.transunion.com/"][#0000ff][size 4]www.transunion.com[/size][/#0000ff][/url][#0000ff][size 4]. Preventive freezes, which block a person's credit from fraud before identity theft occurs, are most practical for consumers who rarely open new lines of credit, said Assistant Attorney General Rich Hamp. In a 2007 study released last week, the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice reported 14 percent of Utahns surveyed said they had been victims of identity theft the previous year, with 20 percent saying they had been victims at some point in their lives. About 5 percent of all respondents said someone had used personal information to get new credit cards, accounts and loans. Credit bureau contact information and other details on credit freezing are available at Shurtleff's Web site, attorneygeneral.utah.gov."
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"New law lets Utahns protect their credit ratings more easily By Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated:09/11/2008 06:48:38 AM MDT Posted: 6:48 AM- Utahns can protect their credit ratings more conveniently now that the state has enacted a law requiring credit bureaus to freeze and unfreeze credit in a matter of minutes. "We encourage everybody in Utah to call the credit bureaus," said Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said Wednesday. Credit "freezing" - putting a hold on new lines of credit - has been available through credit bureaus since late last year. The freeze prevents identity thieves from using another person's credit to make purchases. New lines of credit can be opened only with an identification number given to the borrower who initiates the freeze. Until now, credit bureaus have taken up to three days to respond to a request to "thaw" a consumer's credit and qualify them for new purchases, Shurtleff said. That meant anyone who protected their credit with a freeze had to wait, for instance, to buy furniture or open a cell phone account, he said. A newly implemented Utah law reduces the wait to 15 minutes, Shurtleff said. Each of the three major credit bureaus charges $10 to freeze an account. Details are available at their Web sites: [/size][/#0000ff][url "http://www.equifax.com/"][#0000ff][size 4]www.equifax.com[/size][/#0000ff][/url][#0000ff][size 4], [/size][/#0000ff][url "http://www.experian.com/"][#0000ff][size 4]www.experian.com[/size][/#0000ff][/url][#0000ff][size 4] and [/size][/#0000ff][url "http://www.transunion.com/"][#0000ff][size 4]www.transunion.com[/size][/#0000ff][/url][#0000ff][size 4]. Preventive freezes, which block a person's credit from fraud before identity theft occurs, are most practical for consumers who rarely open new lines of credit, said Assistant Attorney General Rich Hamp. In a 2007 study released last week, the Utah Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice reported 14 percent of Utahns surveyed said they had been victims of identity theft the previous year, with 20 percent saying they had been victims at some point in their lives. About 5 percent of all respondents said someone had used personal information to get new credit cards, accounts and loans. Credit bureau contact information and other details on credit freezing are available at Shurtleff's Web site, attorneygeneral.utah.gov."
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