By placing a fraud alert on your report, you'll never be able to receive an "instant approval", nor will you be able to access your reports online. There's no strategy to doing it, unless you really are a victim of fraud.
If your IDentity is stolen then it protects you in that when the thief applies for new credit, they will be thwarted. If your ID has NOT been stolen, then it will be (at best) a pain in the butt, because your report will be difficult to pull (impossible to pull online), and (at worst) it has been suggested here that it affects your score negatively. You may find yourself wishing you had never had a fraud alert on your report. -Peace, Dave
totally agree w/ other member. Fraud alert is useless, ppl still send you junk mail, unauthorized inquiry still happens, it only band you from getting CR directly frm CRA, but not though a 3rd party whom sells 3 in 1 reports... so is plain useless...
