How to protect yourself from ID theft

• If you are worried about identity theft, consider placing a 90-day fraud alert on your credit file. By law, you're entitled to such a fraud alert if you can "assert in good faith" a suspicion that you have been or are about to become a victim of ID theft. In practice, such requests are rarely turned down by the credit bureaus, consumer advocates say. The alert requires companies to verify your identity before issuing credit. Victims also are eligible for a seven-year fraud alert. For more information: www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

• The ultimate protection is a credit freeze. In Washington, victims of ID or a data breach can place a security freeze on their credit files. It's more effective than a fraud alert because potential creditors get an "access denied" message when attempting to see your credit history, keeping them from approving new accounts. For more information: www.atg.wa.gov/consumer/idprivacy/ security_freeze.shtml

Source: The Seattle Times archives