Realizing that you’ve lost your wallet can be a scary experience. Suddenly, you find yourself faced with the horrific feeling that someone somewhere has access to all of your personal information. You scramble to remember exactly what was in your wallet and where you saw it last. What a mess!
Although nothing can eliminate the worry and inconvenience that is associated with losing your wallet, your best bet is to get things back to normal as quickly as possible. Since you don’t know where your wallet is, you’ll have to assume the worst and cancel everything that the wallet held. In a few simple steps, you can get on with your life with a minimal amount of worry.
Determine exactly what was in your wallet. Hopefully, you have kept the number of credit cards and identification cards as low as possible. Regardless of the quantity of things lost in your wallet, you’ll want to create a comprehensive list as quickly as possible.
Contact all of the issuing agencies and alert them of your loss. A quick call to your bank and credit card companies will allow them to inactivate your numbers. Customer service phone numbers can be found on your monthly statements. Now there won’t be any concern that someone is using your accounts to fund their purchases.
Call the police and report your wallet as lost. Although the police department probably won’t be able to do anything to find your wallet, they will be able to provide documentation recognizing that your wallet is lost. In the event that someone starts fraudulently using your information, you’ll be glad to have that report to submit to your accountholders.
Replace your identification. Pay a visit to your state’s DMV to get a new driver’s license or state identification card. You should also mention to the DMV representative that your old license has been lost. They’ll be able to make any necessary notations related to your old card number.
Report that your personal information has been compromised to each of the three credit bureaus. They will be able to place an alert in your credit file to keep anyone from opening new accounts in your name. Follow up with the agencies a few times by requesting a copy of your credit report and closely examining it for any problems.
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