The Federal Trade Commission reports a new law giving you another option for protecting your credit file: a Credit Freeze. Also known as a security freeze, this free tool lets you restrict access to your credit report, which in turn makes it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name. That’s because most creditors need to see your credit report before they approve a new account. If they can’t see your report, they may not extend the credit.

For the article, including details on how you can set a credit freeze with the three credit reporting agencies, see Free credit freezes are here from the FTC’s website.