credit without pulling a credit report. Companies with whom you have
an existing relationship can still pull a report despite the freeze, and
your information may be given out for the purpose of prescreening
you for credit offers. Credit freezes cost about $10, unless you’ve been a
victim of ID theft — in which case, they’re free. Placing a freeze on
your accounts is an excellent safeguard.A fraud alertis a less restrictive option that can help prevent fraud. An
alert doesn’t block new credit, but it does insert a comment on your
history that indicates that you may be a victim of fraud. Call the toll-
free fraud number of any one of the three major credit bureaus to
place a fraud alert on your credit report for 90 days. The other two
credit bureaus are automatically notified to place fraud alerts. All three
credit reports are then sent to you at no charge.Continue Protecting Your Identity Online
After an identity theft, even when you’ve gone through all the steps to
restore your identity and financial standing, you remain at increased
risk of a recurrence because much of your identity doesn’t change.You can change your credit card account number, close your bank
account, and fix a manipulated credit history, but your birth date, birth
place, mother’s maiden name, names of past employers, and other per-
sonal information never changes.This information is likely to remain in criminal databases, and it has
the potential of being reused many times. Once you’ve been a victim,
you’ll need to be extra diligent in monitoring your identity forever.You can take many significant steps to protect yourself, but there’s no
silver bullet or magic solution, especially as you may not be the one
exposing your information. Publicly available property tax records,
court records, and housing records all make finding information about
you easier.275Chapter 13: Watching Your Pennies Online