The Computer Tutor

It’s the weirdest thing – as I get older, a lot of websites have decided to make their print size smaller and more difficult to read. So rude of them! But in Chrome (and Firefox), I have the option to make the words bigger.

I get this request fairly often from clients. Sometimes they think they’ve figured out how to do it themselves. But that’s only temporary.

They’ll open Chrome, click on the 3 dots, and spot the menu item that says “Zoom” with a percentage next to it. They’ll adjust it to 125% or 150% which makes everything on the page larger (including any images), and it all looks great. Problem solved, right? No – it only changes the appearance of that one website. When a different website is opened, it will be reset back to the standard 100% and everything is back to small size again.

But you CAN adjust the size of what you see on the screen, and have it stay that way for every website you open with Chrome. You just have to get into the Settings section.

So you need to click on the 3 dots in the top right, then click on Settings.

Scroll down a little to the “Appearance” section and you’ll see a couple of places where you can make this adjustment:

If you want, you can change just the font size. The options are:

So you can experiment with it, and see which one you like the best. For some people, this is the only adjustment needed. If you’re reading a blog, or an online article, or your Facebook news feed, you might only need for the text itself to be larger. This will solve that problem.

The other option you can see listed is page zoom. You can zoom out (meaning everything on the web page gets smaller) or you can zoom in (everything gets larger). Again, this is something you can experiment with to see how you like it. You have options ranging from 25% of the normal size, all the way up to 500%.

Once you have these things set to your preference, just close the Settings tab (there’s no “Save” button to lock in your choices). Now you can close Chrome, or even restart your computer, and when you come back you will still have those Font Size and Page Zoom settings the way you like them.

And what if you’re using Firefox and need to make these adjustments? You have the option there as well, although it works a little differently.

For page zoom, you can click on the 3 horizontal lines in the top right corner, and in the menu that drops down you’ll see Page Zoom percentage options. You can change the settings here, but you can only change this on a page-by-page basis. So if you want to adjust Page Zoom on a different website, you’ll have to go to that website and make the same adjustment.

For font size, you can make that change and have it in effect for ANY websites you visit. Just click the 3 horizontal lines, then click Options. Scroll down to the “Language and Appearance” section and choose the font size you want:

For both Chrome and Firefox, you also have the option to change the actual font (Times New Roman, Arial, etc.). I wouldn’t recommend this in most cases, unless the font being used by the website makes the text too difficult to read.

For quite a while, Firefox was my default browser. I’ve been using Chrome as my default for several years now and I really like it. But the new super-fast version of Firefox might be tempting.

When your Firefox gets upgraded to the new version (version 57) this is the message you’ll get on the screen from Chris Beard (CEO of Mozilla, the company that creates and distributes Firefox);

What are the pros and cons for using the new Firefox?

PROS:

First, it’s just faster. I have not run any scientific side-by-side tests comparing the speed to older versions of Firefox, but it’s clear to me that the new Quantum is absolutely, noticeably faster. I have Firefox set to open a certain set of websites (11 sites, each one in its own tab). Until now, I’ve waited for all those pages to load each time so I know about how long it takes. Now, it takes much less time. You’ll notice the difference.

Second, it uses less memory. This means if you’re running Firefox with a bunch of tabs open, it won’t slow down the other programs running on your computer. The developers claim that Firefox Quantum uses 30% less memory than Chrome uses (I have not verified that claim).

Third, it just looks cool. The new Firefox has a new design that leans toward “minimalistic” which I like. But it’s more than just a change in the appearance. With the newer displays using high-resolution, this Firefox works better and appears “crisper” on the screen.

CONS:

Some extensions might not work. I have a client who loves an extension that puts her bookmarks in 3 rows right there at the top of the screen. With the new Firefox, that no longer works. On the other hand, some extensions that did not work previously with Firefox might work with the new version.

I recently wrote about QClean, a browser extension that blocks Facebook ads (such as Sponsored Posts). At the time, that extension worked fine in Chrome but not in Firefox. But it works in the new Firefox. And a lot of developers are working on getting their extensions updated so they too will work going forward with Firefox.

There are other changes that add new benefits (such as the new “Library” feature, and the built-in ability to take screenshots) which add to the allure of Firefox Quantum. Are these changes enough to lure me away from Chrome and change my default browser to Firefox? The jury is still out on that, but I definitely like these new changes.

You can get Firefox (free of course) here: getfirefox.com

I write about scams fairly frequently on this blog. Sometimes it’s because of a new one I’ve just heard about, and I want to warn my readers to be aware of it and not get taken. In some cases, it’s because I’ve just had to deal with a client who has become the most recent victim and lost money or had their computer compromised or infected. Those stories don’t usually have a happy ending. But today, I’m writing with some good news.

With a lot of scams, there is one common element: Western Union. When a scammer wants you to send money, there are a lot of different reasons they come up with but usually only one method, which is Western Union. When you send money to someone via Western Union, it’s pretty much the same as handing over cash. There is no identity tracking to determine who got the money, so after you pay the money and then later on realize you’ve been scammed, you have no recourse to try to get your money back. It’s just gone.

Until now.

It appears that Western Union was at least partially at fault. They received “hundreds of thousands” of complaints about money transfers related to fraudulent lottery schemes, fake family emergencies, advance-fee loans, online dating and other scams. In spite of being aware of these things, they failed to act. They also failed to discipline problem agents, and they failed to have effective anti-fraud policies. In the face of all that evidence, Western Union has settled with the Federal Trade Commission and agreed to pay $586 million to victims that file a claim.

Here’s a summary of how the claim process works:

So if you were a victim of a scam and lost money by using Western Union, be sure to file your claim. You start this process at FTC.gov/WU and just follow the instructions there. Don’t procrastinate, because your claim must be filed by February 12, 2018.

Some people are asking, “What if I don’t have any documentation proving I was scammed?” This would not necessarily be that unusual, since the scammers don’t typically provide a lot of paperwork for a trail. And the scam may have happened years ago, so you might not still have copies of those old emails that went back and forth. File your claim anyway, and provide as many details as you possibly can. Even without documentation, the Department of Justice will try to verify your claim, and if they do, you could get some money back.

Now here’s an interesting little twist. This settlement will probably result in a NEW scam. Obviously, anyone filing a claim in this situation, by definition is someone that has been scammed before. The scammers know this and will be counting on the possibility that those people are still susceptible to being scammed again – so these crooks will be offering to “help” in the claim process by filing the claim on the behalf of the victim – for a fee, of course. Don’t pay anyone to file the claim for you! Filing your claim is free and it’s not difficult, so don’t get scammed a second time.

You might not get back ALL the money you lost, and the money you do get back could take a year before you actually see a check. But it’s worth taking a minute to put in your claim. And hopefully Western Union will get its act together so this stops happening so frequently.

Lots of people are posting videos on Facebook these days. Videos tend to catch a little more attention than a static photo, and a LOT more attention than a simple text post. What if you want to download someone’s video from Facebook and save it to your computer? In the past it was not very easy to do that, but now there’s a really easy way.

I’ve been downloading Facebook videos for a long time. In fact, that’s how I ended up with a video going viral a couple of years ago (seriously viral – way over 50 million views), which netted me over 14,000 followers on my Facebook profile page. That might be a good case study story for a future blog post (if it’s of interest, email me and let me know).

But back then, downloading a video from Facebook to your computer was complicated. You had to get the actual URL for the video, then change the URL so that it displayed the “mobile” view, then save the video to your computer. Not very intuitive.

Now you can get a video from Facebook much more easily, just by using a Chrome extension called “Facebook Video Downloader – Save FB Video”. At least that’s what I think it’s called (more on that in a minute).

Here’s how you do it. Using the Chrome browser, go to this website: https://fbvideodownload.space

Up in the top right corner of the page, click to add the Chrome extension:

Then you’ll see a little pop-up window to confirm, and you’ll click on the “Add extension” button.

Now if you look up in the top right corner, you have a new icon on your Chrome toolbar. It’s a blue circle:

What confuses me a little is that the creators of the extension seem like they couldn’t really decide what to call it. In the Chrome store, it’s called Facebook Video Downloader – Save FB Video. On the website, the title at the top of the page says Online Facebook Video Downloader. And if you just mouse-over that new icon on the Chrome toolbar, you’ll see Social Video Downloader. I guess they just don’t know about the concept of consistent branding.

Anyway, now you’re ready to download a video from Facebook. When you see a video on a friend’s page, nothing will look different – until you move your mouse over the video. When you do that, you’ll see a little “Download” button in the top right corner:

When you click that button, you’ll be taken back to the website where you got the extension, and you’ll see the name of the video. And just to the right of that, you’ll see a big green button that says “Download video in SD”:

So you just click that to download the video to your computer. NOTE: if you’re not using an ad blocker (and why in the world wouldn’t you be using an ad blocker??), be very careful because there will be ads that have a big green “Download” button. These are designed to trick you into clicking on that ad, rather than the actual Download button for the video.

As with all downloads in Chrome, it will show up in the bottom left corner of the browser window. You can open it there, or open the folder where it’s stored and move it to where you want it.

This particular extension does not have a version for Firefox (at least not that I could see). I’m pretty sure there is a similar extension for Firefox that would download videos though. There are others that work in Chrome as well, but this one works fine and is pretty easy to use so this is the one I’m sticking with (until it stops working anyway).

It’s that time again – today we’re featuring some websites I’ve come across recently that I think you might find useful or entertaining.

Fotoforensics

These days, you can’t really say for sure if a photo you’re looking at is the real thing, or if it’s been “doctored” with Photoshop or some other photo editing software. Well, at least you can’t be sure with just your human eyes. At the Fotoforensics website, you can upload a photo and have it analyzed for editing. Personally, I’m not really convinced of its accuracy. You be the judge.

The Hemingway Editor

Great tool for writers. Helps you avoid bad sentence structure, weak phrases, mixed use of passive and active voices, etc. The site actually has a desktop app you can download so that it runs directly from your computer. From the site:

Family Watchdog

Ever wonder about your neighbors? Maybe not your next door or across-the-street neighbors, but what about those that are in your neighborhood but you don’t really know? If you’re concerned about where the registered sex offenders are living in your city, this is the site to check on.  And believe me, when you put in your address or zip code, you’ll be surprised to see how many of them are living right there in your area.

Go Remote jobs

This site helps you find work that you can do from anywhere, simply because it is all digital. Think about it – no commute, flexible working hours, and you can live anywhere in the world you want to! Working remotely is not for everyone. You have to treat the business hours the same as if you were working for an employer. But if you have a skill that’s appropriate for it, you should consider doing it.

Soapbox for video creation

Soapbox is a great little tool if you want to make “talking head” videos that look professional. You just install it as an extension for Chrome (it’s free). Record your video using the webcam built in to your laptop, edit it, and upload it to share with anyone who needs to see it. Watch the video on the home page of the site to get an overview of how it works.

Online Solitaire

Nothing too amazing here, but if you find yourself with an internet connection and some time to kill, this site offers you the Solitaire you are craving.

Awkward family photos

Every family has them. The one photo, that when you’re looking back at it, makes you think “What were we thinking?”. This website is full of these awkward photos – some intentional, some not. Here’s one that the family thought was so funny they used it as a Christmas card.

Legal documents

What if you need a simple legal document, but you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars having an attorney draft it for you? That’s the idea behind this site. The document templates here actually WERE created by attorneys and legal experts (the website’s FAQ claims). You just answer the questions that need to be included in the document to make it specific to your use. It’s not a free service – the documents range in price from $1.99 to $19.99. Is this a substitute for a lawyer? No. But for some people and some situations it might be sufficient (and a lot less expensive).

Hacker Typer

This one’s fun. Just go there and start typing. You’ll see.

Everyone knows Craigslist as “the” online classified ads site. It’s been around forever. But now there are other options so we’re not stuck with the limitations of Craigslist anymore. The site I really like is called OfferUp.

You can use OfferUp from your computer (just go to offerup.com) but it’s really designed to be used from your phone. That’s what makes it so incredibly easy and fast to use, whenever you want to sell something.

From your phone (Android or iPhone) get the OfferUp app, then just follow these steps in the app:

So simple!

And a lot better (in my opinion anyway) than Craigslist. Here’s why I say that:

– OfferUp has a much more modern user interface. If you look at the Craigslist website, you’ll see that it is using the same boring format that was there when it was originally created.

– When you post on OfferUp, the item for sale is immediately live. With Craigslist, it’s usually at least 15 minutes before it shows up in searches. And sometimes when Craigslist “ghosts” your ad, it NEVER shows up. And they don’t contact you to tell you that.

– OfferUp has user ratings. This is one of my pet peeves about Craigslist – when I set a time to meet someone who is either selling something, or buying something from me, at least half the time the other person just doesn’t show up. Even people that email and say “I’m on my way now” somehow never make it to the meeting spot and don’t call or email to say they won’t be there. With OfferUp, if someone does that, you can include that information in the rating/review so that other people will know about it before they decide to deal with this person. When someone knows their reputation is at stake, they are probably going to act more responsibly. Craigslist has no user rating system and both parties can remain anonymous if they want to).

– OfferUp has it’s own messaging system, built right into the app. This is very convenient. Craigslist still relies on its antiquated “anonymous email” process.

– With Craigslist you cannot repost or “bump” an item for sale more than once every 48 hours. OfferUp gives you the option to do this more often (at a cost of $1.99). This just means your item goes back to the top of the list, so that users who are browsing are more likely to see it.

– OfferUp gives you a real-time display of how many people have viewed your item’s listing. This is nice to know. With Craigslist, you can add some code and display a counter in the listing itself I think (or at least you used to be able to) but it’s not a part of Craigslist’s process and it’s definitely not as easy.

I think the only advantage for Craigslist is the fact that it has been around longer, so more people are aware of it. However, OfferUp has become a dominate player in this game so when you list something, it will be seen by a lot of people. I recently did list a mattress on OfferUp, like I mentioned in the example above. This was late one afternoon. It ended up getting 82 views, and someone came and purchased it the next morning. Can’t complain about that.

There is another popular app that works similarly to OfferUp. It’s called LetGo. Pretty much the same process, but I just like OfferUp better. If you are really serious about selling something, probably the best strategy would be to OfferUp, LetGo, AND Craigslist. They’re all free, and the more eyeballs you can put on your item, the better, right?

Do you use an online selling service such as these, that I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments.

Everyone knows to be careful of scammers when shopping on Craigslist (actually everyone doesn’t know that, but they should). And lots of people are aware of potential scams on eBay, since just about anyone can sign up as an eBay seller. But Amazon – now that’s a place with a great reputation for excellent customer service, so it must always be a safe place to shop, right? Not always.

There are a couple of things that most people assume when shopping on Amazon:

And there’s a good reason why most people assume those two things; because that’s what usually happens. But there are some Amazon shoppers who are waking up to the surprising fact that things don’t always go that way.

In a lot of ways, Amazon is kind of like eBay. Anyone can sign up to be a seller on Amazon. Just like anyone can sign up to sell on eBay. And since anyone can do it, there are scammers that create Amazon seller accounts just for the purpose of defrauding buyers.

Here’s how it works:

Mr. Scammer signs up to be an Amazon seller. He creates a new listing page where he is selling iPhone 8 smartphones for $699. Personally, I don’t use an iPhone, but for anyone who’s shopping for a new iPhone, that’s an amazing bargain (if it were genuine). So someone shopping for a phone finds that deal and immediately plunk down a credit card and makes the purchase, thinking they just got the deal of a lifetime.

A day or two later, the buyer gets a notification from Amazon that the item has been delivered. But the buyer is confused, because nothing has been received. Check the front porch, check the mailbox, nothing there. But Amazon’s notice says it was delivered by Fedex – it even says someone signed for it. Huh?

So the buyer goes to the Fedex website, with the tracking number. Sure enough, Fedex says the package was delivered and signed for right on time. But when the buyer checks more closely, he sees that the package was in fact delivered – just to a different address in the same city. In fact, it went to a business address. So someone from that business signed for it.

And that’s what makes this scam work – when Fedex tells Amazon that the package has been delivered, they don’t tell Amazon what ADDRESS it was delivered to. All Amazon knows is that the package was shipped, and Fedex confirms that it was delivered.

But when the buyer contacts Amazon to explain the problem, Amazon will just immediately refund, correct? No, they probably won’t. From their standpoint, your purchase was delivered (even though they don’t know where it was actually delivered to). So the scammer keeps the money and you have nothing.

Some buyers who have been scammed this way have actually gone to the business where the package was delivered. Of course, the employees who work there are completely confused because Fedex brought them a package and had them sign for it, but the box was just empty with no contact information. So it doesn’t really help to go there to try to track it down.

This is a growing problem, so I’m sure Amazon will figure out a way to keep it from happening. One clue obviously is the address for the delivery, but another suspicious factor is the weight of the package. An iPhone and accessories should obviously weigh more than an empty box. But at the moment, Amazon is usually siding with the seller since it looks like everything went as planned, from their perspective.

How can you avoid this scam?

First, if an item is obviously WAY underpriced, that should raise a red flag. Yes, Amazon does have some bargains sometimes and items can be sale priced to clear out inventory from time to time. But the iPhone is one of the most in-demand products in the world, so seeing it priced substantially lower than the norm should tell you something.

Second, check on the seller. If the seller is brand new and has a bunch of products listed that are too-good-to-be-true bargains, just keep looking. It’s tempting to buy anyway even if you’re suspicious, but just know that you might be throwing money away. Don’t be a victim.

For some reason, Microsoft doesn’t want us getting in to the Control Panel on our computers. In Windows 10, they’ve created a different thing called “Settings”, but Control Panel is still there (at least for now) if you know where to find it. Here’s how to get to it easily in Windows 10.

Depending on how recent your Windows 10 updates are, you might be able to get to Control Panel by just holding down the Windows key and tapping the letter X. That brings up this quick menu, and Control Panel is right there.

But that only works if you DON’T have the most recent major Windows Update, called the Creator’s Update. Not everyone has it yet, so that’s okay. You’ll get it eventually. If you do have that recent update, you can still pull up the Windows key + X quick menu, but Control Panel is no longer listed there.

So what we want to do is get access to it initially, then set it up so that it’s EASILY accessible from now on.

The way to get to it is to click the “Search” option in the lower left corner (the magnifying glass icon) and in the search field, just type the word “control” (without the quotes). You’ll see Control Panel as an option to click in the search results:

And when you click it, you’ll see the old familiar Control Panel window there.

But do you really want to go through that whole process each time, just to get to Control Panel? I don’t. It would be much easier and faster if you could just find it in one of these locations:

Or if you want, you can put it in all three of those places! Here’s how you do that.

To pin Control Panel to the Start menu:

Search for “control” as above, but this time RIGHT click on it and choose “Pin to Start”:

Now when you click the Start button, you’ll see a new tile in the menu named Control Panel.

To make Control Panel an icon on the desktop:

Right click on it in the search results again like above, but this time choose “Open file location”. That shows you a window with some files listed, and one of them is Control Panel. Do a right click and choose Send to – Desktop (create shortcut):

To pin Control Panel to the taskbar:

The taskbar is the toolbar that runs across the bottom of your screen. It’s a handy place to put program icons that you want to have easy access to.

Once again you’re going to right click on Control Panel after searching, and this time choose “Pin to taskbar”. Now you’ll see the Control Panel icon, sitting on the taskbar waiting for you to open it whenever you want:

So now you have easy, quick access to Control Panel. Here’s the funny thing. On my computer, I don’t really even go into Control Panel very often. But I still like knowing that I have easy access to it. Maybe it’s just a psychological thing – Microsoft says they don’t want me to use it, so that makes me want it even more than I otherwise would.

Windows 10 is created and distributed by Microsoft, so it has its own agenda about what programs and settings should be the defaults and how you should use your computer. In my opinion, it’s MY computer so I want to set it the way I want to use it. This isn’t always consistent with Microsoft’s wishes but I sure hope they’ll get over it.

I have a whole routine I go through whenever I set up a Windows 10 computer (whether it’s a brand new one a client just bought, or a laptop I’m refurbishing to sell). But the 3 things I’m talking about today are changes you can make (and should make, in my opinion) as a bare minimum. They’re pretty easy to do, and the more we can push away Microsoft’s advances, the better.

1. Change Chrome to the default browser

To make Chrome your default browser, click the Start button, then click on Settings. Click on the “System” option. On the left side, click on “Default apps”. Look down the list to find the “web browser” option and click on Edge. You’ll get a little window that looks like this:

Click to choose Chrome. You’ll probably get a little window asking you to at least TRY using Edge, but click on “Switch anyway”. Chrome is now your default browser.

2. Change Adobe Reader to the default PDF viewer

And if you did just now get a new Windows 10 computer, chances are it doesn’t have Adobe Reader even installed on it. You can get it at Adobe.com – just scroll to the bottom of the page to find the download link. And watch out for the pre-checked boxes during the installation – make sure you UNcheck all of them so you don’t get any extra junk on your computer.

This one starts off the same as the first one – click the Start button, then click on Settings. Click on the “System” option. On the left side, click on “Default apps”. Look down the list toward the bottom, to find the link that says “Set defaults by app” and click it.

In the next window, click on the Adobe Acrobat name in the list, then click on “Set this program by default” at the bottom:

Now if you want to check it, just go to your Documents folder and open a PDF file. It should open in Adobe Reader.

3. Get rid of the Edge tab in Internet Explorer

To get rid of it: In Internet Explorer, click Tools – Internet Options. In the new window, click on the “Advanced” tab and scroll down a short way to see the option called “Hide the button (next to the New Tab button) that opens Edge”. Check that box and click OK.

Like I said, that “Edge” tab in Internet Explorer is not a big thing. I don’t even use IE so I would never see it. But sometimes Microsoft’s advances seem like mosquitoes that we have to keep swatting away. And I’ll swat Edge away any chance I get.

Remember, the 3 things I listed here are only 3 things. There are lots of other things I do when setting up a Windows 10 computer to make it as easy and safe to use as possible. If you need help with that, I can do a full setup remotely – so it doesn’t matter if you’re here in Safety Harbor, Florida or anywhere else.

So many people are worried about identity theft now. Especially with the recent problem with Equifax, where the personal information of 143 million people was hacked into. What should you do? Should you hire a company like Lifelock to protect your credit file? In my opinion, definitely not (for more than one reason, which I’ll cover).

Imagine this scenario.

Your friend comes to you and he’s very worried that someone will get into his house and steal his valuable items such as his computer, his television, his jewelry, etc. He’s frantic and he doesn’t know what to do.

So you ask him: “Do you have good, strong locks on all your doors?”

He confirms, he has good locks that are very strong.

“And you keep all your doors locked at all times?”

And your friend says, “Oh no, of course not. I keep them unlocked all the time. It would be too inconvenient to have to unlock a door every time I come home!”

How would you even respond to that kind of logic?

He continues – “Actually I was thinking about hiring a security guard, and the guard could let me know if someone does break in to my house while I’m not there. Then I can come home and see if anything was stolen.”

Doesn’t that sound like complete nonsense? He’s going to leave the doors unlocked (even though they each have a strong lock that could be used). And then he’s going to pay a security guard – not to keep the bad guys out, but just to let you know when someone has broken in so your friend can go in later and assess the damage.

Any reasonable person would say that’s a really foolish plan. But that’s exactly the plan that most people have with their credit file, and all of the personal information it contains.

If you’re like the vast majority of consumers, your credit file is like an unlocked door. Anyone with a little bit of information (like the information that was leaked from Equifax recently) can use your information to get a credit card, take out a loan, get a new cell phone, and all kinds of other things. You would have no idea it’s happening. And there’s a very good chance your information was part of what the bad guys have in their possession.

Oh, you have a “credit monitoring” service like Lifelock? That doesn’t lock the door. It’s like the security guard in the example above – it just notifies you when someone breaks in.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to PREVENT anyone from getting in, in the first place?

There’s a way to do that, and it’s not difficult or expensive. It’s called freezing your credit file.

When you put a freeze on your credit file, it means no one – not even you – can do a credit check, open any new credit accounts, or anything else that requires access to your credit file. This is the lock that keeps your credit file and all of your personal information safe.

But what about when you DO want to open a new credit account? Then you just temporarily “unfreeze” your file. When that’s done, the freeze goes back into place so that you’re again fully protected.

You will need to do this with each of the 3 credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. (Don’t be surprised when they try to scare you with the “inconvenience” of freezing your file. Each of them make a lot of money selling their “credit protection” services – and when your credit file is frozen, you probably don’t have any use for those services.)

What does it cost? Currently, Equifax is not charging to do this (how nice of them, since they completely screwed things up with their weak security). For the other two credit bureaus, it can vary state by state. For me, I paid $10 each for Experian and TransUnion.

How to freeze your credit file

First up, we’ll do Equifax.

First thing to do is make sure you have Adobe PDF Reader installed on your computer. Equifax is going to show you a PDF document that includes your PIN. You’ll need that PIN to get back in to your credit file, and they’re only going to show it ONCE – so make sure you have Adobe PDF Reader installed and ready.

Now, go to https://www.freeze.equifax.com/

Fill out your personal information and submit:

Then confirm you want to place a security freeze:

You’ll get a confirmation that the freeze has been processed:

Then, click the link to view the PDF document that includes your PIN:

REMEMBER – store that PIN in a safe and secure place, because you’ll need it in order to get back in to your file.

Next up, let’s freeze Experian.

Go to: https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

Click on “Add a security freeze” and then choose “Apply online”:

Fill out your information. For the selection of the PIN, I recommend letting them choose the PIN for you rather than creating your own.

Submit the form, and if necessary in your state, enter your credit card information to pay for it (in Florida, it’s $10).

At this point, Experian may want to ask you a few questions to verify your identity. These questions would be related to things that they already know are in your credit file – auto loans, mortgage amounts, previous addresses, etc.

When you have answered those questions correctly, you’ll get the confirmation that the freeze has been successfully added. Again, either print this or write down the PIN for safekeeping.

And finally, we’ll freeze TransUnion.

Go here: https://freeze.transunion.com/sf/securityFreeze/landingPage.jsp

TransUnion is slightly different in that you need to create an account with them in order to do any of what we’re trying to do.

Fill out all of the information they ask for, and make sure you use a strong and unique password for this account. Once the account is created, go back to the original site address (https://freeze.transunion.com/sf/securityFreeze/landingPage.jsp) to add the security freeze.

Then you will need to submit the payment information (if this is required in your state), and you will also then need to create a 6-digit PIN to allow future access to the account:

Like the previous two, store that PIN in a safe place so you can access it when needed.

NOTE: if you’re married, it would be a good idea to go through this same process (all three bureaus) to put a freeze on your spouse’s credit file as well.

At this point you’ve locked the door to your credit file. Chances are you don’t need to open new credit accounts all that often, so the inconvenience of “unfreezing” your file shouldn’t really be that bad. And it’s a small price to pay to protect your identity.

Of course, doing this is not a 100% guarantee of anything. And I’m not an identity theft specialist, nor am I offering any type of legal advice. Consult with your trusted experts in these areas to make sure you do what is right for your situation.