Discover this past week introduced a new fraud prevention feature called Freeze It that acts like an on/off switch to stop new purchases from being made with a cardholder's account, according to a press release.

Discover said in the announcement it is the only major credit card issuer to provide this free feature on mobile and online. If cardmembers believe their credit cards are permanently lost or stolen, they can call Discover and receive a new card and account number. Cardholders also can turn the account back on at their discretion. 

“We’re giving our cardmembers a fast and simple security feature that gives them more control over their accounts and more peace of mind if a card goes missing,” said Julie Loeger, senior vice president of marketing. “The Freeze It feature adds another layer of protection to Discover’s continued efforts to increase cardmember security and help prevent fraud.”

Main features of Freeze It include: 

• An on/off switch for new purchases, cash advances and balance transfers on a card
• Can be easily activated  from a mobile device, online or by calling 1-800-DISCOVER
• Alerts to cardmembers if a transaction is declined while their accounts are frozen
• Some account activity to continue such as bills marked as recurring by the merchants, returns, rewards redemptions, etc.