<prompt> Human: Ever since the Equifax scandal, my partner and I signed up for experian credit fraud alert not freezing credit.We recently signed up for an amex card. typically in the past, credit cards would either be instantly approved or denied on the spot online. instead, this time amex contacted us to double check that we indeed wanted to open the card before actually sending it to us.Was that extra step that amex took to double check our intent to open a card what the whole credit fraud alert amounts to? Does the credit fraud alert only force the company who owns the product to contact the holder of the SSN? I was under the impression that it was the credit bureau had to notify us every time someone does a hard check on our credit - and we never received any notificationcontact from our credit bureau on our attempt to open an amex card.Just trying to educate myself and any others on PF on what credit fraud alert really means and how it actually works and helps if at all. any helpinsight is much appreciated, thank you!  <response>: That is how it is supposed to work, yes. The fraud alert notifies the potential credit grantor in this case, Amex, to verify your identification before extending credit in your name. 