I just froze my credit and it feels good. :)

[lindysalsagal]

I've heard Clark Howard talk about it on the radio for years and since I'm one of the anthem casualties, I finally did it. All 3 companies.

I also asked for my free reports (all 3) to make sure there's no funny business going on in there. Got 2 of the 3 and it's all good. A couple of my ex's accounts are on there but he keeps his current so no big deal. That happens.

I was happy to find out that I could order one free report per year over the phone so that I didn't have to type my soc sec num into my keyboard. That's a no-no. You call one and it just adds the other two.

I also got Clark's sample letter and the instructions for freezing it in snail mail, so I wrote the numbers on there in pen.

No need to type the numbers.

Whew! It feels geeeeeeeewd. They're not gonna get me!! Ha! Screw you, hackers!!

I also belong to a small credit union and I don't have any online accounts or auto bill-pay out of my checking, so, I'm a pretty tough target these days.....Gonna have to go through a real live human being to do me any financial harm.

Yes!!!! I no longer worry!!! Yay!!!

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. About that free annual credit report..

I get mine from each of the 3 companies on a rotating every 4 months basis...in spring, get a report from Experian, 4 months later get one from Equifax, etc. That way they are current, so to speak.

How you gonna order stuff on the internet without a credit card???

[PasadenaTrudy]

2. Debit card? n/t

[lindysalsagal]

4. I would never, never, ever type my debit card into a keyboard or share it online.

The laws don't protect debit cards the way they protect credit: Your entire account could be emptied. Plus, they could open a line of credit with it.

[lindysalsagal]

3. Equifax just messed up royally: Iddiots

My letter was perfect but they sent me a form letter saying it was missing something. I finally find an equifax phone number and survive the que. The woman on the phone first tells me my soc sec num is wrong. She heard me wrong. That took 3 minutes.

Then she claimed I got the re-send letter because my payment credit card info was wrong. I have a copy of the letter in front of me. It was perfect. I gave her the same credit card info from the letter and it went right through.

These people hold all of our lives in our hands and they can't get anything right.

Clark Howard said to xerox and keep a copy of the letter with return receipts. I guess this is standard operations screw up for them. These people are the authors of passive aggressive....

I got a confirmation number and the moron says I'm all set to go now. Not giving me confidence....

All the more reason to freeze the credit. They'll send me a pin number I use to thaw it temporarily and then re-freeze.