Fraud alert

A fraud alert is a note on your credit report that asks lenders to take extra steps to confirm your identity, such as calling you, before opening new credit in your name. In the US, you place it with one of the three credit bureaus, which must tell the other two. An initial fraud alert lasts one year and can be renewed. If you are a confirmed victim of identity theft, you can get an extended fraud alert lasting seven years. A fraud alert is easier to manage than a credit freeze because you do not need to lift it to apply for credit, but it is weaker, because lenders are not completely blocked from viewing your report.