LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is reminding Michigan residents of free credit freezes available to all Michigan residents, all thanks to a new state law.
The credit freezes were effective Sunday. These credit freezes are a temporary block on the ability of third parties to access your credit report.
Credit reporting agencies cannot charge fees having to do with freezing someone's credit report. And thanks to the credit freezes, no one can sign up for a new financial service using your stolen credit information.
“Following multiple security breaches that have exposed personal information of millions of Michiganians, I worked with the legislature to make sure that after a breach, it would not cost those exposed their hard-earned dollars when they weren't at fault,” Schuette said in a press release. “I applaud our legislature for taking the important step to protect Michigan residents, and I encourage those who have been impacted and those who want to limit who has access to their credit reports to take advantage of our new zero-cost credit freeze law.”
Schuette joined more than 40 states and the District of Columbia in September 2017 in an investigation of Equifax, a consumer credit reporting agency. That investigation is still open.
The attorney general encourages residents unsure if their credit was breached to go to the Cybersecurity Incident and Important Consumer Information section of Equifax's website.