What should you do if you need to lift a security freeze?

When you need to lift a security freeze, the correct approach is to temporarily lift the freeze when applying for new credit. A security freeze is designed to restrict access to your credit report, which can protect you from identity theft. However, when you want to apply for new credit, such as a loan or credit card, potential lenders need to access your credit report to evaluate your creditworthiness.

Temporarily lifting the freeze allows creditors to review your credit file for a specific period, allowing you to proceed with your application while still maintaining control over your credit. You can specify the duration for which the freeze is lifted, ensuring that it does not remain open indefinitely.

The other options do not align with the typical processes involved in managing a security freeze. Permanently removing the freeze is not necessary unless you no longer want the freeze in place at all. Notifying all creditors is not required since you just need to allow specific creditors to access your report during this temporary lift. Filing a police report is unrelated to the lifting of a freeze; such reports are typically associated with resolving identity theft issues, not credit freeze procedures.