I placed fraud alerts on my credit reports with all three of the major credit reporting bureaus, and it only took about 10 minutes. Here's how you can, too. What can a fraud alert do?

What is a fraud alert? A fraud alert is a notice you can put on your credit report. It encourages businesses to perform additional verification before they issue credit in your name.

Fact checked by Betsy Petrick Key Takeaways Your credit report includes your personal details, information about your credit ...

A fraud alert is a speed bump, while a credit freeze is more of a stone wall to protect your identity. A fraud alert tells creditors to contact you before new credit is opened in your name.

A credit freeze involves putting a block on your credit reports, whereas a fraud alert is more like flagging your file. “A ...

With identity theft and fraud on the rise, it's essential to monitor your credit report for signs of fraud. If you've been scammed, you'll need to contact your local police, the FTC, all three ...

Learn how to prevent credit card fraud with simple steps to protect your financial information from scams and theft.

The tricky part is that most of us don't check our 401(k) accounts all that often, which makes it harder to spot unusual ...

Acting quickly after losing a credit card helps prevent fraud by blocking the card, filing a police report, monitoring ...

Once you place a fraud alert with one credit bureau, it's required to inform the other two. If you'd prefer a credit monitoring service, many credit cards offer this free of charge.