How to unfreeze a credit freeze

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You might have had to freeze your credit report from lenders, to protect yourself from identity theft.

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To unfreeze a credit freeze, you need to contact each of the major credit bureaus: Equifax®, Experian® and TransUnion®.

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You can contact the bureaus, individually either online, by phone, or by mail to unfreeze it.

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You'll need to provide your name, address, birthdate, and Social Security number to verify your identity.

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Each credit bureau will give you a unique PIN when you place a freeze on your file. Provide this PIN to lift the freeze.

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Depending on how you're doing it, you may also need to answer security questions from the credit bureaus.

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These questions are based on information in your credit report or you will receive a one-time PIN via text message.

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Once you ask a credit bureau to lift your credit freeze, it must do so within a specific time frame.

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For requests made by phone or online, the freeze must be lifted in 1 hour. If made by mail, you have 3 business days.

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