A few weeks ago Clark spoke about new credit freeze laws for non-victims of ID theft. The new rules have been or are being adopted by all three major credit bureaus. A credit freeze is the most effective strategy to shut down ID theft. Freezes had been free to victims of ID theft, but previously not all non-victims had access to them. Clark froze his credit with TransUnion yesterday -- the first day he was eligible to do so. He had to write a letter providing his name, address and Social Security number, plus a copy of his driver's license. Then he also had to provide a credit card number to pay a $10 freeze fee. Some people may feel uncomfortable giving up all that information, but Clark looks at it as a calculated risk that's very smart. The cost of not doing a freeze and having your identity stolen can be disastrous. Experian will allow credit freezes beginning Nov. 1, while Equifax still has not announced a start date yet. What does a credit freeze mean for Clark's life -- or yours? It means that he must pay $10 per bureau when he wants to thaw his records to apply for future credit. If that sounds costly to you, compare this cost to the thousands of dollars and untold hours you'd have to spend restoring your good name and credit following an ID theft.