Credit freezes are your free shield against thieves. fstop123/Getty Images

Your Social Security number is a crucial piece of personal information. It's used for everything from getting a new job to securing lines of credit, making it a prime target for identity thieves. This nine-digit number is linked to health benefits, taxes and more. As we see major breaches happen more and more often, protecting your SSN is more important than ever.

You can pay for monitoring, but there is a tougher, free line of defense you control: Lock your SSN and pair it with a credit freeze . Blocking electronic access to your number makes it much harder for criminals to pass employment checks or open accounts in your name, and a freeze stops new credit even if someone has your details. There's also t

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