I want to put together a list of things I would need to do in case my wallet is lost or stolen. What should I include?
I’m trying to put the account #s of all my cards, and phone numbers to call to report them lost.
Have you lost a wallet or purse? What did you have to do to get set up again? I hear it’s a bureaucratic nightmare.
My mother had her purse stolen while she was on vacation, and I got a frantic call at 11:00 p.m. to cancel her credit cards. I don’t know if it’s a “bureaucratic nightmare” but it’s definitely time consuming.
The #1, very first rule is to record everything on a list and keep it in a safe but accessible place. The #2 rule is that you’re going to be spending a lot of time on the phone, and you might as well accept it.
First, make a list of all your credit cards, account #s and the phone numbers to report them. If your wallet disappears, REPORT ALL OF THEM, even the ones you know are safely at home.
Secondly, if you carry any sort of professional certification (my mother was an RN and had a wallet card) record and report that as well.
Many states use your social security number on your driver’s license. You should request that you be given an alternate ID number. Since every state’s reporting process is a little different, I can’t tell you what exactly you’d need to do.
Do you carry a blank check in your wallet? It’s not a good idea, but if you do, don’t forget to call the bank. Ditto with traveler’s checks (if you’l look when you buy them, you’ll see they warn you about this very thing.)
Contact the Social Security office to report your number has been stolen. You’ll get a replacement card and your SS records will reflect it.
Other things, like insurance cards, library cards, etc. can be a lower priority, but you still need to report them and be issued new ones.
If by chance, you happen to recover your wallet, cut all of the above up and throw them away. There’s no way of knowing whether the kind soul who returned your belongings didn’t first record the numbers and order a plasma TV on your Mastercard.
My mother actually had done all of that. She told me where the list was, and I was able to make all the phone calls before she got back. All her stuff was replaced fairly quickly.
Ask your credit card companies about any way they can further secure your account. Some of the ways include flagging the approval to ask for an ID, a password or something else that prove you’re actually you.
You’re on the right track and it’s a good idea for everyone. Just make sure that document is in a secure place so account numbers are not compromised. If you have American Express you can register all your credit cards with them so a single phone call takes care of everything. I had my wallet stolen a couple of years ago and it was a medium size hassle but certainly not a nightmare. In the end I was just out the cash in the wallet.
Every six months (or so) I lay everything in my wallet (excluding paper money and receipts) on the copy machine at work and make a copy of it, front and back. I make sure that everything is legible (phone numbers, account numbers, etc.). Then I file the copies away in a safe, yet easily accesssible (to me) place and shred the previous copies.
It’s easy and it gives me piece of mind.
Make sure you don’t carry your SS card in your wallet, and don’t laminate it. You’re fuxored if you lose that.
Type up a little card that tells someone how to contact you if someone finds your wallet. You should make it easy for someone who wants to do the right thing to do the right thing. Even someone well-intentioned might not bother with the hassle of calling information based on your driver’s license information to get your phone number, and if your phone number is unlisted, then that won’t help a would-be do-gooder anyway. Just include your cellular phone number or your e-mail address if you don’t want to give your home number. I use my cellular phone number. It’s on a card in my wallet that reads: “If you have found this wallet, then I have lost it. Please save me the hassle of standing in line at the DMV by calling <my name> at <my cellular phone number>. Please keep the $20 for your trouble.” (I always keep a twenty-dollar bill in my wallet. The rest of my cash is in a money clip.)
Did anyone else think “Why on earth would he need to lose his wallet in a hurry? What incriminating things does he keep there?”
Several years ago when we went on a European vacation my wife and I pulled all our joint credit cards from our wallets and put both his/her cards for each account into the same wallets. Thus, if one of our wallets/purse was lost or stolen we wouldn’t have to cancel all of our credit cards and be stuck there with no credit cards at all.