Security freezes and credit locks both protect against identity theft, but only one is free and backed by federal law. Learn which option is right for you.

A warning from someone who actually knows what federal prison is like. I've been there—not for credit fraud, but for addiction (clean since 2015). So when I tell you that CPNs are illegal and using purchased tradelines to get loans is bank fraud, I'm not theorizing. I'm warning you about real consequences from lived experience. David Day got 7 years. The Oklahoma City case? 18 months. The FBI showed up at Swatisha Keith's office.