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Generally, you will need to freeze at all three bureaus - TransUnion, Equifax and Experian - to make it effective. It's possible, however, that a bureau doesn't have a report on you - and it's silly to pay to freeze something that doesn't exist. So before you apply, get a copy of your free annual credit report from each bureau to see who has a report on you. You will also want to check the freeze terms at each bureau before deciding. How to apply: TransUnion has its system up and running. Send your name, Social Security number and a credit card number and expiration date (for the $10 charge) to TransUnion, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, Calif., 92834-6790. If you are a victim of ID theft, freezes and thaws are free. For more information, call 1-888-909-8872.
Tips on improving your credit score
Your credit score influences many areas of your life. A prospective employer will check your credit when considering you for employment. Your insurance agent may check your credit when deciding to insure your car or home. Your lender, whether for a home loan or other consumer debt, will check your credit score when making a determination. Your credit report shows the history of your borrowing activities as they have been reported to the credit reporting bureaus (TransUnion, Experian and Equifax) by lenders, court records and others at a point in time. The credit score helps credit grantors to evaluate this information quickly because it gives a snapshot of your payment history. Thousands of credit grantors send updates to the bureaus -- usually once a month. These updates include balances, monthly payment amounts and whether there have been late payments.
Ex-cop pleads guilty in child porn case
A former Manhattan transit cop from Long Island who tried to set up a tryst with a 14-year-old girl pleaded guilty yesterday to child pornography charges.
Michael Farrell, 36, pleaded guilty in Manhattan to attempted dissemination of indecent material to minors and was promised a 1-year jail sentence. He would have faced up to 4 years in prison had he been convicted after trial.
Farrell, of Levittown, admitted having computer photographs of children depicting sexual conduct, and acknowledged that he had arranged to meet in lower Manhattan and have sex with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He has similar charges pending in Nassau County.
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