A fraud alert is a special message on the report that a credit issuer receives when checking a consumer's credit rating. It tells the credit issuer that there may be fraud involved in the account. A fraud alert can help protect you against identity theft. A fraud alert can also slow down your ability to get new credit. It should not stop you from using your existing credit cards or other accounts.  With a fraud alert in place YOU are telling the credit agencies YOU may be at risk of being a victim of Identity Theft.

A security freeze means that your credit file cannot be shared with potential creditors, insurance companies or employers doing background checks. Most businesses will not open credit accounts without checking a consumer's credit history first.  A credit freeze is a proactive step to protect your credit without telling the credit agencies you are a high risk for ID theft.  OptOutDetectives prefers the credit freeze method.