Identity theft is a growing problem in the United States, but a lot of the solutions that banks and other companies propose to stop identity thieves aren’t nearly as effective as a recently introduced process offered by the three major credit bureaus. Monitoring services only let you know that your identity has been stolen after it’s already happened, but the process of “freezing your credit” makes it almost impossible for identity thieves to open lines of credit in your name, even when they have full access to your personal information.

The term is called a “credit freeze” because your credit is literally frozen. If your credit is frozen and a bank tries to query your credit report because someone applied for credit in your name, they won’t be able to access your credit report. It will be as if your credit file did not exist. Anyone who has your personal information will not be able to use your identity to establish new lines of credit in your name any more than they would of a newborn baby with zero credit history to speak of.

The initial cost to freeze your credit will be $10.00 per credit bureau, or $30.00 total. Certain states allow customers to file for a credit freeze for free. Victims of identity theft may also be able to freeze their credit for free. You might want to research your state’s laws with a simple Google search to see if there’s a way for you to request a credit freeze at a better rate than what the three major Credit Bureaus are offering.

Equifax, TransUnion and Experian each have slightly different processes for getting your credit frozen, so you’ll want to read their full instructions on their websites, which are TransUnion.com, Experian.com, and Equifax.com respectively. If you aren’t technically savvy, you can also request to freeze your credit by Phone. Experian’s number is 1-888-397-3742. Equifax’s phone number is call 1-800-685-1111 and TransUnion’s phone number is 1-888-909-8872.

If you freeze your credit, you will need to remember to “thaw” your credit and temporarily make it accessible to potential creditors in the event that you want to apply for any kind of loan or rent an apartment. Fortunately the process of thawing and freezing your credit is relatively simple and can be done online.