Identity Stolen?
You have the right to place a fraud alert on your credit report. In addition to that, you can actually freeze your credit report

Anyone who has been the victim of identity theft may request the three major credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on their credit reports. Fraud alerts are designed to alert you when someone applies for credit in your name. Additionally, it signals creditors to contact you for authorization to, or not to, issue that credit. If you can believe it, those same creditors are not required to abide by or even review the alert.

A credit freeze can take the process one step further. With a credit freeze, no one can open any form of credit in your name. Your credit file is off limits to potential lenders, insurers and even potential employers. Here's how it works.

When you apply for a loan, credit card or other personal credit, the company issuing credit usually will contact one of the three credit reporting agencies to request your credit file.
If you have a freeze on your account, the company will be told that it cannot see your credit file due to the freeze. You should tell the credit issuer at the time you request their service that your account is frozen, and that you have the ability to temporarily lift the freeze in order for them to review your history. The three credit bureaus assign a personal identification number to you when you freeze your report. Using this PIN number, you can lift the freeze whenever necessary.

With a credit freeze, a criminal can have your name, birthday and Social Security number -- but it won't matter. No credit will be issued.
If you wish to freeze a credit report, you must contact each of the three credit reporting agencies. For the majority of states, there is no cost if you are a victim of identity theft, as long as you have a report from either the police or law enforcement agency. If you have not been a victim of identity theft in California (for example), you must pay $10 to freeze each credit report, or a total of $30 to freeze your files at the three credit bureaus.

None of the three bureaus charge to permanently lift the freeze, but there are fees for a temporary lift -- even for identity theft victims.

Depending on your state of residence, each agency has a different fee for freezing or lifting your credit file freeze. In addition, each agency has a different procedure for consumers to freeze their files. Here's a chart explaining what you need to send each credit reporting agency to freeze your credit report: Information you'll need to freeze your credit files

Credit reporting agencies	Mailing address	Required information
Equifax 1-800-685-1111	Equifax Security Freeze P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348	Send certified mail. Name, current and former address, Social Security number, date of birth Pay by check, money order or credit card. Credit card (Visa, Master Card, American Express or Discover only): Give name of card, account number, expiration date If you are an ID theft victim, you will need to include: a valid copy of your police report, investigative report or complaint filed with law enforcement agency.
Experian 1-888-397-3742	Experian Security Freeze P. O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013	Send by certified mail. Full name, with middle initial and Jr./Sr., etc. Current address and home addresses for past five years, Social Security number, birth date, two proofs of residence (copy of driver's license, utility bill, insurance statement, bank statement) Pay by check, money order or credit card. Credit card: Give name of card, account number and expiration date. If you are an ID theft victim, you will need to include: a valid copy of your police report, investigative report or complaint filed with law enforcement agency.
TransUnion 1-888-909-8872	Trans Union Security Freeze P. O. Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92834-6790	Send by regular or certified mail. First name, middle initial, last name, Jr., etc. Current home address and addresses for past five years, Social Security number, birth date Pay by check, money order or credit card. Credit card: Give name of card, account number and expiration date. If you are an ID theft victim, you will need to include: a valid copy of your police report, investigative report or complaint filed with law enforcement agency.

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