7 ways Congress can battle identity theft

[IGBT]

Text

Allow consumers to freeze their credit. There's one nearly foolproof way to prevent a thief from opening credit accounts in your name, and that's by "freezing," or locking up, your credit report.

Unlike a "fraud alert," which is simply a flag to potential lenders that you've been an identity-theft victim, a freeze actually prevents credit bureaus from releasing your credit report without your express authorization. To get a loan, you'd need to "unlock" the freeze with a personal identification number.

 

[PingSpike]

Congress is to busy regulating MLB steroid use and debating how evil video games are to actually start any useful legislation that helps the American people.

 

[Chadder007]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
Congress is to busy regulating MLB steroid use and debating how evil video games are to actually start any useful legislation that helps the American people.

You also forgot the all imporatant sucking up to the RIAA and MPAA.

 

[oboeguy]

Originally posted by: IGBT
Text

Allow consumers to freeze their credit. There's one nearly foolproof way to prevent a thief from opening credit accounts in your name, and that's by "freezing," or locking up, your credit report.

Unlike a "fraud alert," which is simply a flag to potential lenders that you've been an identity-theft victim, a freeze actually prevents credit bureaus from releasing your credit report without your express authorization. To get a loan, you'd need to "unlock" the freeze with a personal identification number.

That seems almost pointless. Someone else could unlock you and then use your stuff.