Question: I put a freeze on my credit report, which I thought was permanent. But my friend said it’s only good for one year. Is this true? Do I have to renew it every year? What are the numbers to call if I need to freeze it again?
Answer: A credit freeze lasts until you lift it — it doesn’t expire after one year. Your friend may be thinking of a fraud alert, which is temporary. Some people use the terms interchangeably, but that is incorrect.
A credit freeze, also known as a security freeze, prevents prospective creditors from accessing your credit report. Since most companies won’t extend credit without checking first, a credit freeze can prevent identity thieves from opening new accounts in your name, whether for credit cards, car loans or other purposes, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains on its website.
You must notify each of three nationwide credit-reporting companies — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion — to start and stop a credit freeze. When identity thieves open or try to open fraudulent accounts, the ID-theft victims are generally advised to freeze their credit and to temporarily “thaw” this security feature if they need to apply for credit in the future. Their personal identifiable information (PII) has been compromised and the risk is ongoing.
By contrast, a fraud alert doesn’t prevent prospective creditors from checking your file, but tells them to “take reasonable steps to verify who is applying for credit in your name,” the CFPB says, typically by calling the phone number you provided when placing the fraud alert.
A standard fraud alert expires after a year but is renewable. Or you can get an extended alert of seven years if you file a report verifying that your identity was stolen. You only have to notify one of the aforementioned credit-reporting bureaus to set a fraud alert with all three; that one will tell the others.
Some consumers who’ve had their PII exposed but have not suffered a financial crime opt for a fraud alert, rather than a credit freeze, because it provides some protection without disrupting their own ability to apply for credit. However, the credit-reporting bureaus have made it much easier over the past few years for people to freeze and unfreeze their credit, minimizing the disruption of that stronger option.
Neither fraud alerts nor credit freezes will prevent criminals from draining existing accounts, using existing credit/debit cards or otherwise preying on victims; these tools are aimed at preventing new accounts from being opened. Also, neither will help if companies approve new accounts without checking the applicant’s credit report.
For more information about setting or lifting a credit freeze, contact:
>> Equifax: Call 800-685-1111 or go to equifax.com/ Opens in a new tab and click on “place or manage a freeze” near the bottom of the page.
>> Experian: Call 888-397-3742 or go to experian.com/freeze/center.html Opens in a new tab
>> TransUnion: Call 888-909-8872 or go to transunion. com/credit-freeze Opens in a new tab
Q: I thought there was an HPD guideline around officers illuminating their vehicles’ blue lights while on duty. Has that changed? I’ve noticed more police officers driving around without their blue lights on.
A: The policy still stands. “With two exceptions, the blue rooftop light shall be mounted and illuminated during on-duty hours,” Honolulu Police Department policy 4.13 states in section 7a. The first exception is that “at the discretion of watch commanders, patrol vehicles operating in certain localities under special circumstances need not have the blue identification light illuminated.” The second exception is redacted from public view.
The policy applies to all police cars, whether they are owned by the city or are “subsidized vehicles” owned by the officers.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
