Something from Clark Howard, a national radio host and consumer advocate, that I came across today. It is called a credit freeze. Basically, you freeze your credit report. This way, if someone steals your identity, they still cannot do anything with it. It costs you $10 per credit bureau ($30 total) to freeze it and $10 to “thaw” (Clark’s word, not mine) your credit (another $30 total), but it seems well worth it.
You do not want someone to steal your identity. Obviously, that is step one. But, if someone does, you can still use this method to lock them out. An analogy, if I may: Someone steals your garage door opener. They go to your house, click the button, but it doesn’t open. Why? Because you have locked it from the inside as well. Similar concept with this.
Thanks to Clark Howard and his website for passing this information on, including sample letters.