Read more at www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2018/06/free-credit-freezes-are-coming-soon-0
When the law takes effect in September, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion must each set up a webpage for requesting fraud alerts and credit freezes. The FTC will also post links to those webpages on IdentityTheft.gov.
And if you’re in the military, there’s more. Within a year, credit reporting agencies must offer free electronic credit monitoring to all active duty military.
While it will be free starting September, I don’t doubt the credit bureaus will try their hardest to trick consumers into buying credit “locks” which aren’t the same thing. All three have their own version of credit locks but it essentially is a credit freeze that they have marketed and made easier to use in terms of locking/unlocking all while being less secure since it doesn’t have the same legal protections as a credit freeze – oh and it costs a monthly subscription too.
The bureaus already try to trick you into a credit lock instead if you try to do a freeze now. Transunion is the worst at this. They used to have like 3 separate webpages on their main page for each of their 3 products. No mention of a credit freeze anywhere so you just have to guess which site to click into. Even now, no mention of a credit freeze anywhere without significant amounts of digging through.
h/t redeyeblink