<prompt> Human: Every other day I see someone on here who has had their identity stolen usually by a relative. Spending 5 minutes and a couple of bucks can permanently make the possibility of this go away. Freezing your credit means that no one can take out a loan in your name without first verifying your identity. I have successfully taken out in-store credit at the checkout theyll call you right there in line, and two mortgages with my credit frozen had to sign one more piece of paper saying it was ok to unfreeze my credit. It was nearly painless.I dont understand why everyone doesnt do this. It makes identity theft far, far harder, at very little impact to you. Dont let the language fool you - credit reporting agencies really dont want you to make it more difficult for you to borrow money. Once you have the freeze in place, all youll notice is the peace of mind.Call the reporting agencies to put a freeze on your credit report: Equifax 1-800-349-9960 Experian 18883973742 TransUnion 1-888-909-8872EDIT: Im guessing I was mistaken, and I do not have a credit freeze, but rather an extended fraud alert. See the top thread for details. I was never an identity theft victim, for what it is worth.Assistant: ITT: OP realizes heshe doesnt have an actual freeze on hisher credit, effectively stating I dont understand why people havent done this thing I havent done!Human: Well considering the thing I have done is not possible according to the available literature I have never been a victim of identity theft, I think my confusion is understandable. I could delete the thread to save myself embarrassment, but then I wouldnt get to chat with lovely people like you.  <response>: Youre so sweet!At least you learned something. Thats never a bad thing. 