Though a fraud alert will provide temporary protection from a credit-related case of identity theft, it will not “lock down your credit” as you may have been instructed to do by authorities. For this, you’ll need to consider how to implement a credit freeze.
A credit freeze will make it so potential creditors cannot see your report. Without being able to obtain your credit report, the chance of fraudulent accounts being opened by the thief is greatly reduced. Placing a successful credit freeze on your account requires the use of a PIN number so that you are the only person definitively accessing your credit. This is the most definitive way to lock down your credit account if you see it has been attacked!