What is the Difference Between Credit Freeze & Credit Lock?

The world is evolving, technology is developing, and digitalization is booming. A person’s life is not the same anymore as it was 50 years back. People have become more outgoing; a digital revolution has taken place. All these factors are good for a person’s growth, as well as the economy’s growth.

But it is impossible to escape the fact that every coin has 2 sides. The other side of this scenario is that The rising issues of personal data being stolen, misuse of confidential information, identity theft, etc. have led to new frauds taking place virtually everywhere. Scammers can easily use your data to make purchases on credit or open loans in your name, which will leave you with considerable debts. Credit lock and credit freeze are two main security measures that prevent fraudsters from hijacking credit reports.

What is a Credit Report and Its Importance?

A credit report is a statement that indicates a person’s credit history that includes their transactions, credit score, loans taken up, and more. The information is highly confidential and thus shall not be leaked or stolen. Such information is affected in case of identity theft, fraud, or similar situations. The lives are affected by the common man and to safeguard the same, concepts like credit freeze and credit lock have been introduced. Let us dive into these topics and gain an understanding of each of them.

A. Credit Freeze:

A credit freeze is a situation in which the credit bureau refuses to share a customer’s credit report with anyone other than the customer. A credit freeze is also known as a security freeze or frozen credit. The information is blocked and only reported to the customer. It is a fraud prevention strategy. Many customers use the credit freeze option in scenarios where they believe that their credentials have been stolen or misused. Freezing their credit reports protects them from having their credit information leaked to criminals who may make new purchases or create accounts using their credentials. Also, no financial companies can get access to a customer’s data until the credit freeze is removed. It is safe to say that a credit freeze does not cause any harm or impact your CIBIL score.

B. Credit Lock:

The credit lock strategy helps in preventing lenders from viewing your credit reports. A card’s identification number also known as the PIN is generated in this process. Only with access to this PIN on the mobile app or secured website, one can lock and unlock their credit report. The service of credit lock needs to be purchased and thus is chargeable.

Must Read: How to Read CIBIL Report?

As we have understood the concepts, let us dive into the difference between a credit freeze and a credit lock.

Credit Freeze V/S Credit Lock:

Impact on Credit Score

Activation or deactivation of a credit freeze or lock on your credit report does not cause an impact on your credit/ CIBIL score. For example, if a person wishes to take up a personal loan in India under your credit profile, going through the entire process is not possible. It is because many access points are not available to the scammer.

Conclusion

Having a security layer applied to all your details helps you to save on confidential information and identity theft. Being aware of your finances is the first step to financial independence and security. We encourage you to keep track of your credit information and take suitable actions to keep your critical information secured and safe.