Julie Jason: How to put a freeze on your credit record

You may recall last year's cybersecurity attack that compromised the United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) database.

I received an email from "Mathew," who experienced the breach personally.

"It turns out that the data stolen was the background investigation records of (reportedly) everyone who had applied for a position or submitted a background investigation form as well as those listed on those applications by a spouse," explained Mathew, who has a cybersecurity background.

"The number of individuals whose records were stolen is reported to be 21.5 million. I was one of those individuals.

"In a letter sent to me in late November, 2015, the OPM said that the information about me stolen may include my 'name, Social Security number, address, date and place of birth, residency, educational and employment history, personal foreign travel history, information about immediate family as well as business and personal acquaintances, and other information. ... Our records also indicate your fingerprints were likely compromised.'"

In this breach, the government was unable to protect its own data. "As recompense," said Mathew, "I was provided with three years of identity-theft insurance and identity-restoration services. Further, I could add three years of credit monitoring, identity monitoring at no cost to me (but at a cost of $21.5 million to the government)."

Mathew decided to go further by placing a "security freeze" (also called a "credit freeze") on his credit files with the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. And that's what he recommends anyone do if his/her data is compromised or to lessen the likelihood of damage.

A freeze will prevent someone from opening an account in your name, according to Mike Litt and Edmund Mierzwinski, authors of the U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) October 2015 report, "Why You Should Get Security Freezes Before Your Information Is Stolen." (To see this report, go to http://tinyurl.com/jyuqols.)

Keep in mind that you are exposed to data breaches such as OPM's every time you shop with credit or debit cards, pay taxes, patronize any business that keeps customer records, apply for or use health insurance, attend college or work for the government or a company, according to Litt and Mierzwinski.

To place a freeze on your credit record, you'll want to contact all three credit bureaus (if you request a freeze online, the freeze will be effective immediately):

Experian • By phone at 888-397-3742; mail the request in writing to Experian Security Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013. Or you can submit a request online at http://tinyurl.com/ 27oqloc -- you'll be given a PIN to use in order to lift the freeze when you need to apply for credit.

Equifax • By phone at 888-298-0045; mail the request in writing to Equifax Security Freeze, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, GA 30348 (to see instructions on how to do this, go to http://tinyurl.com/gop94cr). Or submit a request online at http://tinyurl.com/j6mr83x.

TransUnion • By phone at 888-909-8872; mail the request in writing to P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016. Or submit a request online at http://tinyurl.com/zglsjwf.

Fees and requirements for adding or removing a freeze vary by state. Experian offers a handy resource that provides state-by-state information at http://tinyurl.com/ntumyvp. (If you would like me to send you a copy of your state's requirements, email me at readers@juliejason.com. Don't forget to tell me where you live.)

Who should not do a freeze? • If you are looking to borrow money, you might want to wait. "Freezing a credit file prevents potential new lenders from accessing your credit report without the freeze first being lifted by you," according to an Experian spokesperson. "If you are planning to apply for credit in the near future, it may be better to not freeze your credit file, or to postpone freezing it until you no longer need access to the credit marketplace."

Your existing creditors will still be able to access your credit file, according to the Federal Trade Commission's March 2014 report, "Credit Freeze FAQs" (http://tinyurl.com/obpxnlz).

Julie Jason, JD, LLM is a personal money manager (Jackson, Grant of Stamford, Conn.) and award-winning author.