<prompt> Human: I know most things are not perfect, but doing some research into credit monitoring products and services, I realized that most of them are useless poo poos.That leaves me nowhere but the arena of credit freezing. Im sure this isnt perfect either, but is this the most effective means currently available to defend my identity?  <response>: Yes, I believe that its the best line of defense against the great majority of identity theft crime. Credit monitoring is pushed by many companies, including the credit bureaus, but its not a defense, more of an after-the-fact alert system. 