Credit card swiped

Think about the lengths I go to in regards to protecting my personal and credit information; shredding/burning discarded documents, the various unique passwords and such that I place on all my personal records, etc. Though I'm sometimes referred to as, maybe jokingly, paranoid, consider what occurred this morning, and then think about how you handle your personal information.

I received a phone call this morning informing me of over $1,300 worth of fraudulent charges approved on a credit card under my name, along with another approx $2,000 worth of pending charges. All occurring as-of yesterday afternoon. Though the creditcard company has reversed all charges, they noted there are two processes I can use to further protect my credit:
The least invasive is a "fraud or security alert." This is a statement added to your credit report asking issuers to check with you prior to issuing credit. Unfortunately, there is no law that requires issuers to honor this request, so it only works about 50-70% of the time. The placement of a fraud alert is free.

The process of filing an alert also serves to remove you the reporting agency mailing lists. No more junk credit offers! Yay!

This fraud alert is open for anyone to use, and unlike previous methods where you had to mail a letter, can be completed via telephone.
Contact information:
Experian: 888-397-3742
Equifax: 800-525-6285
TransUnion: 800-680-7289

Their second recommendation was to place a "Credit Freeze" with the three major credit reporting bureaus. For non-IDTheft victims there is an $8 charge with each agency, and I'm still trying to figure out how to actually proceed. To overview a credit freeze:
"...
Potential creditors, insurance companies, landlords and some employers doing financial background checks will be told that your report is unavailable for viewing. This does not stop you from getting credit but will slow down the process by several days. This is a trade-off and may be an inconvenience for some consumers. Security freezes are not for those who apply for credit or change jobs frequently.

If you want credit- you can ask the business which agency they use and just thaw that one agency's report. If they don't know, you will need to thaw all 3 reports. Reports can be thawed for a period of time or for a specific company to see. Neither of these processes will affect your credit score but both will prevent you from getting "instant" credit. That is the trade-off for higher levels of information security.

Each time you wish to qualify for a loan, credit card, tenancy or a job, you will need to "thaw" the report. This takes about 3 days. It may interfere with a rapid need for your report. This is an important consideration to keep in mind. However, it will also stop thieves from opening accounts.

In ITRC's opinion a freeze is the best form of identity theft protection currently available, but by no means is it a 100% guarantee of safety. Companies can, and will, issue credit without looking at a report. However, you have a very strong argument as to the fraudulent nature of that account. For many of us the freeze not only brings peace of mind but finally gives us some measure of control to our financial security.
..."

Further information.

I hope this information helps someone...