February 6, 2006
Lost your credit card!

If you have had your credit card stolen, there is little you can do to prevent a credit report fraud. As per existing regulations, you cannot put a freeze on your credit report, even if you have filed a police report, until you can provide evidence that your personal information has been misused.

While, you can alert your credit bureaus, legally you cannot block your card until  a fraud has actually been committed.

However, help may be at hand, as the Seattle Legislature is planning a new Bill (Bill 6665) under which anyone who has had a card stolen can put a freeze on their credit reports. This will disallow a thief from misusing the credit report and allow you to sleep in peace.