Top Ten Tips - If Your Wallet Is Stolen
By Tip Diva | Jun 19, 2008
Categories: Adult, Banking, Difficulty, Etiquette, Insurance, Library, Money, Safety, Savings, Scams, Tips
Tip Diva unfortunately had her wallet stolen yesterday. Luckily, her ATM card and driver’s license were not in the wallet, but the perp decided to buy $200 worth of train tickets using her credit cards. Here’s what to do in case your wallet is stolen:
- If Wallet Is Returned, Still Treat Like Stolen - If someone returns your wallet, treat it as if it were stolen - credit card numbers, personal IDs and other information could have been copied and may be used to steal your identity.
- Cancel All Your Credit Cards - Call each of your credit card companies and tell them your card was stolen. Be prepared to give your Social Security Number, your mother’s maiden name, your address and date of birth, as well as the last legitimate transactions made to the card. Ask that they close your account and issue cards with new numbers. Make sure you get confirmation numbers or letters confirming your accounts were closed.
- Close Checking And Savings Accounts - If you had ATM cards, checks or other information that could be connected to your checking and savings accounts, call your bank immediately and close the accounts, opening new ones under different account numbers. Again, be prepared with the information you needed for your credit card companies. Make sure you get confirmation numbers or letters confirming your accounts were closed.
- Report Other Cards Missing - If you had insurance cards, library cards, phone cards, supermarket cards, video rental cards or others, report them all stolen. Some may not matter, but it never hurts to let the companies know and see what’s the next step you should take. Make sure you get confirmation numbers or letters confirming your accounts were closed.
- Call The Department Of Motor Vehicles If Your License Was Stolen - Call your state’s DMV immediately to report a stolen license. If your stolen card had your Social Security Number on it, ask that your new card have a new number.
- Call The Social Security Administration If Your Social Security Card Was Stolen - Report your card immediately to (800-269-0271) and ask what you should do.
- File A Police Report If Cards Used - Call your local police department to file a report if you find fraudulent transactions on your card. The police, paired with your credit card companies, will investigate into these transactions.
- Call The Three Credit Bureaus - Call the three credit reporting bureaus, which will place you on a 90-day credit watch. All inquiries into your credit will have to be approved by you first. You also have access to a free credit report. The three bureaus are Equifax (800-525-6285), Experian (888-EXPERIAN) and TransUnion (800-680-7289). If you call TransUnion first, it will issue a credit watch to the two others and save you time.
- Monitor Your Account For Unusual Transactions - Even if you’re on credit watch, pay attention to all of your accounts for unusual transactions. If you see any, report them immediately. The longer you wait, the harder your recovery will be.
- Pay Attention To Your Mail - Watch out for unusual bills and collection notices, which means someone may be using your personal information to open accounts.
To help mitigate the risk that comes with losing a wallet, make sure to check out Top Ten Tips - Protecting Your Wallet.
Other Tips To Check Out:
I had my wallet stolen once, and since then have only carried photocopies of ID that would be the same if re-issued, such as social insurance number card, medical services plan card, etc. This way if it ever happens again (knock on wood that it won’t!) I won’t have to pay again for replacements of those items (the originals are at home).
JEANNE’s Last Blog Post: 1
Great idea from Jeanne! Probably wouldn’t work for the driver’s license, but as she says, great idea for medical cards, library cards, etc.
I am seaching for some idea to write in my blog