Top Things You Need To Do If You Lose Your Wallet
Nothing feels worse than reaching for your wallet only to discover that it isn’t there. You get an instant feeling of panic and your heart starts to pound and your blood pressure rises. We keep so much of who we are in our wallets. You have your credit cards, drivers licence, insurance information and more in your wallet. If a criminal gets hold of it, you could be looking at some serious problems. Read on to learn the top things you should do if you lose your wallet.
While there are plenty of honest people in the world, it is more likely that someone steals your money and tries to assume your identity so they can take out loans in your name. Once you notice that your wallet is missing you want to calm down and check your home to ensure that you didn’t just misplace it. Once you are totally sure that your wallet has been stolen, you need to follow these steps to ensure that you minimize the damage of your wallet being stolen.
Contact The Banks Immediately
Criminals are likely to try to use your credit and debit cards right away so you want to cancel them as soon as you are absolutely sure that your wallet has been stolen. Don’t wait a long time to do this because you don’t want anyone making any charges on your cards.
Once you cancel all of your cards the criminal won’t be able to use your cards. The banks will do this immediately and they will send out replacement cards, but you are going to have to wait for a while for the cards to come in so be patient. You will have to get brand new account numbers. You can’t wait to do this because if someone uses your card and you don’t report it right away you could end up having to pay for some of the charges.
File A Police Report
You want to have the theft on record in case whoever gets your wallet tries to use your cards or steal your identity. It will be a lot easier to prove your case if you have a police report on file. If you end up being a victim of identity theft, the creditors are still going to come after you and it will be up to you to prove your case since the creditors are not going to believe you.
You don’t want to end up having your credit score get ruined which is something that can happen if you end up being a victim of identity theft. The identity thieves open up accounts in your name and don’t pay them and you end up with a credit score that is ruined. Filing a police report is easy and you will have started a paper trail which is going to help your case. Make sure that you keep a copy of the report with your records.
Freeze Your Credit
Identity thieves are going to act quickly so you want to freeze your credit so they can’t open up any accounts in your name. If someone tries to open up an account they are going to be blocked from doing so and you are also going to be notified. Freezing your credit is one of the best ways to ensure that no one is able to take out credit in your name and it is also very easy to do. It doesn’t cost anything and it is very effective.
Report Your Driver’s License As Stolen
Your driver’s license is a very important document and you can’t drive without it so you are going to need to get a new one right away. If your wallet is stolen your driver’s license is one of the documents that the thief needs to open accounts in your name so you need to report your loss as soon as possible.
You are also going to need to get a new driver’s license so you can drive without getting a ticket. You are going to have to fill out some documents so you can get your license and you might have to pay a fee for your replacement license. You can visit the website of your local DMV to see what you are going to need to do.
Inform The Social Security Administration
If you had your Social Security card in your wallet you are going to want to make sure that you inform the Social Security Administration about the theft since they will issue you a new card and there will also be a record of the theft on file. The IRS has an identity theft prevention unit and you are going to want to call them and report the theft.
You also need to get a new card right away from Application Filing.com since your Social Security card is an important document that you need to have. When you get your new card be sure to keep it in a safe place so you don’t have to worry about it getting lost again. You don’t need to carry it in your wallet as long as you have memorized the number. Once you get your replacement card, keep it somewhere safe so you won’t have to worry about it getting stolen again.
Change Your Locks
If a criminal has your wallet and address, they might decide to break into your home and rob you. Just to be on the safe side you are going to want to change the locks on your house so you don’t have to worry about this possibility. The criminal might also have your house keys if your purse was stolen, so if they have your keys, it is going to be crucial to change your locks.
Having your things stolen is scary and you need to make sure that you take every step to try to minimize the damage that this has caused. Be sure to report everything stolen and don’t take any chances with your house if the criminal has your keys. Change the locks right away.
Author: Mahendra
