To Prevent Credit Card Losses from a Stolen Wallet or Purse A little preparation and forethought will save you in headaches should the nightmare of a stolen wallet or purse happen. Take the time to do the following and save yourself any extra hassle during such an upsetting time. Make copies of both sides of each license, credit card, etc. in your wallet/purse. If your wallet is stolen, you will know exactly which cards were stolen and you will have the account numbers and phone numbers to the credit card companies. Put these copies in a safe, secure place but one that you—or a trusted friend—can easily get to in the case of an emergency. Keep a list of all credit card toll-free numbers so you can easily and quickly contact the credit card companies if your wallet or purse is stolen. Immediately file a police report in the jurisdiction where your property was stolen. Doing so shows creditors you took the initiative to be diligent and acted quickly to prevent further theft. It’s also the first step necessary should an investigation be warranted. Do not carry your social security card in your wallet or purse. Keep it in a safe, secure location. Consider making a copy of your passport when you travel. Keep it with you as well as leaving a copy with a trusted family member or friend. Immediately call all three national credit reporting agencies to place a fraud alert on your name and social security number. Should a thief attempt to open a credit account, the services will alert the credit card issuer that your identity information has been stolen and they should contact you by phone to authorize any new cards. This will stop the thief before he gets any traction on overtaking your identity. Below are the phone numbers for the credit report agencies and the Social Security Administration fraud line: Equifax 800.525.6285 Experian 888.397.3742 TransUnion 800.680.7289 SSA fraud line 800.269.0271
Posted on: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 15:00:00 +0000
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