Fraud alert

Unlike a freeze, an alert doesn't block your report; it travels with it. An initial alert lasts one year and is available to anyone who suspects fraud in good faith. An extended alert, for identity theft victims with an identity theft report, lasts seven years and removes you from prescreened offer lists for five. Active duty service members can get a 12-month alert. You place it at one bureau, which must notify the other two.

Alerts suit people who need to keep applying for credit, such as someone midway through buying a house when their email gets compromised. The weakness is that verification relies on the lender's procedures. Many victims stack an extended alert with freezes at every bureau. List a phone number you'll actually answer, since lenders may call it before approving anything.