Long Island residents are hoping a new credit freeze bill will stop identity thieves in their tracks.

Governor Pataki (R-NY) is considering a bill that would allow New York residents to freeze their credit reports, requiring a password to ?thaw? the account and obtain credit. Officials say it is different from the current fraud alerts because those are only kept active for 90 days.

Eleven states across the nationa already have similar security freeze legislation. Local lawmakers say they are confident Pataki will sign the bill in the next 10 days.

Related Information: FTC: Your National Resource About ID Theft Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft Identity Theft and Identity Fraud